Page 29 - DIVA_No.18_2005

& Nicolas Ayoub
"Architecture is not just a
profession. It's a state of
mind ..."
Nicolas Ayoub
AWARDS: MIPIM Award for best office building in the world, 1995.
Prize winner of the Institute of Fine Arts.
Urban Planning Consultant for the State of Selangor (Malaysia)
Urban Planning Consultant for the City of Tianjin (China)
Member of the French Academy of Architecture
Officer of the National Order of Merit
Commander of the Order of "Arts-et-Lettres"
Prize-winner of the Institute of France
Prize-winner of the French Academy of Architecture
work, nor to write books about it; he works
for others. ... We know that architecture is
the outcome of numerous factors, but above
all it is an art, with all that this implies in
terms of intuition, spontaneity and irratio-
nality," says Nicolas Ayoub.
The will to practice architecture, the ambi-
tion for architectural innovation—two unu-
sual qualities—tend to keep Michel
Andrault and Nicolas Ayoub in frustrating
isolation rather than hasten their success.
The pitfall of avant-garde architecture ope-
ned like a chasm at their feet. It is certain
that many talented architects are liable to
disappear into the most dangerous pitfall of
all: that of "fashionable architecture".
"Buildings do not stand alone," says
Nicolas Ayoub, "they tell a story: past and
future. They are part of the environment
and, unless they are built with this in mind,
they will not stand the test of time."
This is ultimately what makes their break-
through stand out. Whereas so many talen-
ted architects have become bogged down
through designs that follow "the fashion of
the moment", Conceptua has continued
building a timeless architecture, with a
relentlessness will to succeed, and an
unconditional struggle for a "certain idea of
architecture"; and with the unquestioned
talent of Michel Andrault and Nicolas
Ayoub too.
The architectural taste of Conceptua
remains very "French": reason and poetry
are the essence, the relationship between
the mass and the void is harmonious, ratio-
nality in the sequence of spaces reigns sup-
reme, the clarity of spaces, the functions of
the various volumes —everything blends to
make this architecture reflect the profound
spirit of a country, the mirror of a France of
rational confidence and skilled expression.
conceptuaginail .com
www.conceptua.org
1.2005 Diva 31