atelier arcau — Une architecture du dialogue — La Galerie d’Architecture — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: November 2 → December 2, 2017

French architecture firm atelier arcau was founded in Vannes, on the shores of the Gulf of Morbihan, in 1979. Now one of the largest architecture firms on France’s Atlantic coast, atelier arcau’s attachment to its native Brittany has helped give it the strength to pursue its creative freedom. Run by architects Julien Veyron, Xavier Fraud and Marc Monnier, atelier arcau’s mission is to create unique spaces which are both modern and in harmony with their setting and the local culture.

This commitment has engendered a large body of work in the fields of architecture, urban planning and interior design, for which the firm has won numerous awards, including the AMO National prize in 2012 and 2015, a World Architecture Festival award in 2012, and the 2013 Smart Grid Award. Most recently, atelier arcau was shortlisted for another World Architecture Festival award in the “Higher Education and Research” category, the winner of which will be announced in Berlin in November 2017. In its forthcoming exhibition at Paris’ galerie d’architecture, atelier arcau will present its architectural philosophy and its approach centered round openness and dialogue. The exhibition, from November 2 to December 2, 2017, will explore the firm’s DNA through three sections highlighting major landmarks in the firm’s evolution, exploring both its history and what it could become tomorrow. As such, the exhibition invites visitors to “open the hood” and examine the inner workings of the motor that drives atelier arcau. Confirmation for the firm’s founding thesis — that only through dialogue is it possible to achieve the contextual understanding needed to develop appropriate architectural responses — is provided by the comments which punctuate the exhibition, elicited from stakeholders in atelier arcau’s completed projects, including users, developers and public bodies. Among other highlights, a workshop focusing on one of atelier arcau’s largest on-going projects, the Light Human Hotel in Venaco, Corsica, will provide visitors with an opportunity to find out more about the firm’s modus operandi.