French architecture

The D-Day Museum in Arromanches-les-Bains, France, recently unveiled a new facility designed by Paris-based design studio Projectiles. The redevelopment project marks a significant milestone for the first museum dedicated to the Normandy landings. The museum's new design establishes a strong connection to its surrounding environment. Located on a natural wedge in Normandy, the site offers sweeping views of the English Channel and the remnants of the temporary Mulberry harbor constructed during World War II by the British. Projectiles conceived the building as a 'landscape museum,' embedding it into a broader museum system extending along the cliffs and across the horizon. Its positioning and design emphasize the interplay between the natur... More

In the heart of Paris’s 12th arrondissement, a relic of 1970s Brutalist architecture has been transformed into a contemporary, multi-functional space. Once the headquarters of the National Forestry Office, the 35-meter-tall Racine Tower now serves as a dynamic addition to the neighborhood, and as the headquarters of a vocational training organization. The redesign by Maud Caubet Architectes breathes new life into the 6,000-square-meter structure while seeking to address environmental and urban challenges. Laurent Kronental for Maud Caubet Architectes Maud Caubet Architectes At the core of the redesign is a commitment to adaptability and sustainability. The original slab-and-post grid structure remains intact but has... More

Montpellier-based NBJ Architectes recently completed Lycée Jacques Brel, a technical high school in the historic center of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. In its approach to the project, NBJ Architectes capitalized on the town’s rich architectural heritage while addressing the challenges posed by both urban density and the site's topography: the finished school is a bridge between tradition and modernity. Paul Kozlowski © Photosarchitecture Paul Kozlowski © Photosarchitecture Lycée Jacques Brel is dedicated to the teaching of technical crafts, including locksmithing, metalworking, and mechanics. The new building replaces a previou... More

Archello Awards 2024 has revealed its longlist for its projects of the year categories. The longlists celebrate the very best building products, architecture projects and firms selected from over 1,000 entries for the second edition of Archello's annual awards program.   Park-and-Ride Bus Station: longlisted for Transportation Hub of the Year Cyrille Weiner Paris-based ateliers O-S architectes (Vincent Baur, Guillaume Colboc, and Gaël Le Nouëne) has completed the Cesson-Viasilva Park-and-Ride Bus Station in the north-western French city of Rennes. The distinctive 32,000-square-meter (344,445-square-feet) station is a key part of the city’s sustainable mobility initiatives. ateliers O-S architectes (Vinc... More

In Pantin, France, the Nelson Mandela cultural space by Jean-Pierre Lott Architecte is located in the heart of the Courtillières district. This iconic 1960s development by Emile Aillaud is characterized by curved buildings and poetic forms. The Centre is conceived to blend functionality, inclusivity, and aesthetic appeal.  Takuji Shimmura Like many neighbourhoods near large metropolises, the surrounding neighbourhood is essentially made up of housing. Public buildings, such as churches, town halls, and libraries, are relatively rare in such contexts, leading to a deficiency in gathering space. Takuji Shimmura The Centre's integration into the urban fabric is a standout feature. Lott's design doesn't isolate t... More

Atelier du Pont, a Paris-based architecture firm, is recognized for its emphasis on sustainability and ecological design. The firm sets itself apart by utilizing renewable materials, such as locally sourced wood, and creating compact, energy-efficient structures that reduce environmental impact while preserving green spaces. This approach is exemplified by projects like its own eco-responsible home in Paris, completed last year. Fred Delangle The studio recently completed a timber-based new home for the teams responsible for managing Parc de la Villette and its facilities in northern Paris. This workforce was previously housed in the Cité Jardin, a complex of nine prefabricated buildings constructed in 1982, which had deter... More

French architectural studio Hamonic+Masson & Associés has completed the twisting concrete Alta Tower in Le Havre, northern France. The 55-meter-high (180-feet-high) residential tower stands at the center of French architect Auguste Perret’s acclaimed post-World War II redevelopment of Le Havre, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. The tower is also in close proximity to Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer’s prominent Le Volcan cultural complex. The twisting geometry of Alta Tower builds on the curvilinear form of Niemeyer’s architecture: the tower’s design creates a sense of fluidity and a connection with its surroundings, while at the same time making a bold statement. Courtesy Of Hamonic+Ma... More

The Eugénie Brazier school project in Lyon, France, undertaken by regional architecture studio Vurpas Architectes, involved the rehabilitation and extension of a former wholesale market into a nursery, pre-school and primary school. Situated at the heart of the quartier de la Confluence, an evolving sustainable development, the project is part of a revitalization effort meant to upgrade a former industrial area at the southern tip of the city’s peninsula. Here, where the Saône and Rhône rivers meet, a host of new buildings, shops, parks and cultural programs create a dynamic new urban center. Vladimir de Mollerat du Jeu The existing structure is set on a large site of sixteen hectares and was built in the... More

Paris-based K-Architectures has recently completed the renovation and expansion of the Pierre-Paul Bernard stadium in Talence, a suburb of Bordeaux in southwestern France. The stadium is celebrated as the site of a world record-breaking performance in the decathlon as well as the annual host of Bordeaux’s largest sporting attraction, a decathlon event receiving some 15,000 spectators annually.  The Pierre-Paul Bernard stadium was initially constructed in 1976 within the protected 60-hectare forest known as Bois de Thouars. In 2016 the municipality of Bordeaux selected K-Architectures to modernize the stadium's track and grandstands while introducing a new 4,000 square meter sports complex and maintenance facilities. Guillau... More

In this Archello series, we look at each of the seven nominated projects (five architecture finalists and two emerging finalists) in the Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024.   Rebirth of the Convent Saint-François Thibaut Dini Amelia Tavella Architectes has completed the rehabilitation and extension of the 15th century Convent Saint-François in the village of Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano on the island of Corsica. Built in 1480, the abandoned convent, set in the wild Corsican landscape in the southern part of the mountainous island, had fallen into partial ruin. Amelia Tavella sought to restore the historical monument in a way that honors the remnants of its past. Converting the building into a Maison du Territoire &mdash... More

French architectural studio RAUM architectes has completed the meticulous rehabilitation and extension of a community swimming pool in Saint-Méen-le-Grand, a town in Brittany, France. The studio’s design marries old and new to create a unitary whole. Charles Bouchaïb Charles Bouchaïb Built in 1994, the swimming pool was subsequently renovated and extended on several occasions — in 2008, 2013, and 2015. The original architecture consists of masonry elevations, a wooden frame, and a slate roof: “It does not particularly dissociate itself from the dominant local construction method by asserting itself as a suburban construction,” says RAUM. The pool’s successive extensions did n... More

Paris-based Studio Razavi Architecture has completed 93 Petit, a residential apartment building in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. Schnepp Renou Reflecting on the premise of 93 Petit, Studio Razavi comments: “Regardless of their size, all buildings in urban contexts contribute to the greater morphology that ultimately defines a city. The larger the project, the more the architect [is] under pressure to sensibly balance land use ratio and design.” To combat urban sprawl, cities are increasingly looking at ways in which to adopt planning policies that foster a greater degree of urban densification. This approach increases housing stock within a city and helps to reduce carbon emissions. Urban densification promotes the... More

Geneva-based architecture and urbanism firm Atelier Archiplein has completed the restoration and transformation of a historic Capuchin convent in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, a region in eastern France. Dating back to the 18th century, the convent’s buildings have been reappropriated for use as an artist residence. Atelier Archiplein’s careful approach to the restoration establishes a connection between the convent’s living spaces, its facades, and cobbled courtyard via new monumental openings. On the garden side, an impressive open gallery made from Hauteville limestone (from Plateau d’Hauteville in eastern France) connects the convent’s north wing with the landscape. 11h45 Built in several stages... More

Paris-based PietriArchitectes has completed Le Totem, a housing project and four shops in Romainville, a town in the eastern suburbs of Paris. A facade of light-colored, specially shaped pointed bricks gives the building a textured and crafted appearance, enhancing its presence. Hugo Hébrard Le Totem is described by PietriArchitectes as “the new face of the entrance to Romainville” and is a short distance from the Mairie des Lilas Paris Métro station. Part of the urban renewal of several districts on the outskirts of Paris, the town bears witness to “the vitality and renewal of the Paris Region.” PietriArchitectes designed Le Totem as a landmark in the vicinity and a link with the Youri Gagari... More