Page 31 - Trends by DELABIE

/// DESIGN STORIES / Interview with Anne Démians Interview with Anne Démians / DESIGN STORIES ///

How does architecture enable us to analyze the society we Which project has marked you most in your career?
live in?
A. D.: Definitely the urban planning and home construction
Anne Démians: Architecture considers, analyzes then project at the Porte d’Auteuil on the outskirts of Paris,
ANNE DÉMIANS
reveals the social, cultural, esthetic, economic and political carried out in partnership with the architects Francis Soler,
Archi-thought-ure dimensions of the successive states of our society. Constantly Finn Geipel and Rudy Ricciotti, as a genuine manifesto with
it
public
housing
us,
differentiation
and
our
exposes
present
around
between
everyday words,
acts
no
private
a
–
all
approach
exceptional
and
the
and gestures to their own echoes; because architecture is, in beautiful synthesis must also fruit of an brief moment when I
CONCEPTS reasoning. Its purpose is to carry the invisible, sensitive aspect designed and proposed, on my own initiative, "La by pointed
and
fact, a discipline which depends on artistic agility and scientific
I
But
work.
that
add
(the
Nef"
the
high,
Nave),
long,
crystalline
crossed
of our imagination towards a happy reality, the positive effects
space,
arches, running through the interior space of the Hôtel-Dieu
of which we can enjoy at all moments.
Hospital; a precious and useful work still at the proposal stage
You are a pioneer in the field. How would you explain
today.
Reversible Building Design to laymen?
Do you have anyone you would consider a "mentor", in your
A. D.: Firstly, by telling them that it is important to reconcile
field or another?
the citizens that are with their cities and their future. Then
ANNE DÉMIANS IS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO to think of the city they want to bequeath their children. A. D.: The architect Frank Lloyd Wright, to cite but one;
The domestic and public spaces that I design – whether they due to, of course, the immensity of his modern thought, his
PAIRS THEIR DISCIPLINE WITH RESPONSIBILITY. HER
are homes, o ces or small facilities – are reversible. The futuristic designs and the sensitivity of his body of work. For
ACTIVIST'S VISION IS BROUGHT TO LIFE THROUGH
challenge is breaking the chain of preformatted products. me, the Johnson Wax Headquarters remains his major work;
NATURAL WORKS AND DIFFERENT DESTINATIONS.
When architecture is reversible, it increases the lifespan of for its esthetic, social and functional dimensions.
THIS ARCHITECT AND URBAN PLANNER – RECENTLY buildings which we now want to be "sustainable". It is simply a
matter of thinking more about construction to produce more
APPOINTED A KNIGHT OF THE LEGION OF HONOR IN
beautiful architecture; and reversibility is one of the major
FRANCE – BREAKS JUDICIOUSLY FROM PRECONCEIVED
parameters to allow that.
FORMS.
In your opinion, does the architect have an activist role to
play?
A. D.: Certainly. And much more so than before. Architecture
has become a political discipline – and this is paradoxical – since
politicians show less and less interest, besides our heritage
Auteuil, Paris
30 treasures. When in fact, the complexity in which contemporary 31
architecture finds itself has never had so many components and
parameters, able to produce such a host of new specificities
in urban planning, useful landscaping, unexpected design and
technical innovation. Among them, the "mutable city", of
course, based on reconsidered density, which makes individual
aspirations and the collective challenge of a reduced-carbon
city compatible.
Les Dunes, Black Swans, Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, Nancy
Thermal, ESPCI, Vilnius Train Station, among others. How
do you choose the projects you would like to take on?
A. D.: Whatever the project and its context, the important
thing is that it contributes to making a city beautiful and
surprising and our landscapes astounding – whatever its size
or purpose.
La Nef, Paris
Architecture is primarily art that is used and thus, architecture
in its "daily life" is what interests me most. And this – now a
priority for me – does not exclude the massive stakes involved
in major projects.
One must think more about construction
Black Swans, Strasbourg
to produce more beautiful architecture.
Grand Nancy Thermal, Nancy
And reversibility is one of the main
parameters to achieve this.
Since opening her first architecture firm in 1995, Anne Démians has
left a unique and lasting mark on our urban landscapes. Les Dunes,
Black Swans, Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, Vilnius Train Station... she pays
as much attention to small and big projects alike, as long as she
can bring her promises to life. This pioneer of Reversible Building
Design, a winner of multiple major awards in the field, looks back on
her career path and shares her vision with us.