Opening paths in the profession

JP: The emergence of young architectural practices is largely driven by a desire for autonomy, creative freedom, and a strong sense of commitment. In Paris, especially, the rise of women-led studios signals a significant shift in the professional and cultural fabric of the discipline. Many of us came here to gain experience in good offices, build professional networks, and ultimately launch our own studios. This trajectory reflects not only a generational pursuit of independence, but also a broader reconfiguration of architectural practice, grounded in new forms of collectivity, responsibility, and authorship

IV: Building on what Julie just mentioned about women in the profession, we've observed that while there are more women than men in architecture schools, few women go on to run their own firms. The gap between being an architect and leading a practice is significant, and we face that challenge daily. But we take pride in our work. We collaborate with many women—photographers, graphic designers—and actively support other female-led practices.

Reflections on launching a firm

IV: We met in Bordeaux during our bachelor's studies at the architecture school. Later, Julie went to the Netherlands, while I studied and worked in Germany. We reconnected in Paris after completing our master's degrees and gaining experience in large offices. We worked in those structures for several years before launching our practice right after the pandemic.

JP: It was important to gain significant experience before starting our firm. We each worked for about ten years. I began with research on the Paris metropolis while abroad in Berlin and the Netherlands, before transitioning to architectural projects in Parisian offices. This experience shaped our values and helped us, both in terms of daily operations and project execution.

IV: Our time working abroad, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands, influenced our approach. We adopted their structured methodologies when establishing our firm.

JP: While we were in architecture school in 2008, the financial crisis made opportunities scarce, so we looked beyond France for work. We were ambitious and wanted to engage in meaningful projects. Many architects from Italy, Spain, and France moved to Germany and the Netherlands for work.

IV: By 2020, the pandemic gave us time to reflect on our future, and we decided to start the firm. We took our time to shape our vision and approach, to define our position within the field. We started in the incubator Échelle Un at the Paris-Est School of Architecture, where we met other young firms and built a strong network. Many of those connections remain valuable today.

Revealing, simplifying, and adapting

JP: We aim for conscious architecture. Our starting point was opportunity—our early projects involved renovating flats and houses for friends. From there, we developed a methodological approach based on three key actions: reveal, simplify, and adapt.

IV: Our work always begins with the existing. We often refer to Jan de Vylder (ADVVT) statement, “Observation precedes imagination,” as a guiding reference. Our focus is on uncovering, therefore revealing, the essential elements of a building—its structure and historical layers.

JP: We invest significant time in diagnostics, studying and analysing the building before making decisions. We don’t hide its character—we reveal it. Our interventions are minimal but thoughtful. The process of simplifications consists in avoiding overcomplicating projects, ensuring our additions are necessary and meaningful. This approach creates a layered composition—an assemblage of materials and interventions between the old and the new. This results in a raw, material-driven aesthetic.

IV: Our designs prioritise efficiency. We simplify construction to reduce complexity on-site, ensuring seamless collaboration between different trades. Adapting is crucial. We consider climate resilience, use bio-based materials, and tailor designs to clients and contractors. Some teams bring extensive expertise, while others require more guidance, so we adapt our approach accordingly. 

JP: Our drawing method is also adaptable. We leave room for flexibility during construction to respond to site conditions. The reality of working with existing structures is that dimensions are never exact.

IV: This flexibility often leads to unexpected discoveries. We analyse the composition of walls, develop multiple options, and finalise decisions on-site in collaboration with contractors. Our projects evolve through conversation and real-time problem-solving.

We recently completed a house in Paris’s 19th arrondissement, which fully embodies our methodology. Revealing involved uncovering the building’s material history. The house was built on an old gypsum quarry, meaning it had no real foundations. We studied its layers—brickwork, past extensions, structural modifications—and preserved key elements.

JP: Simplifying focused on rationalising circulation. There were originally three separate staircases, so we aligned them into a single vertical connection along the exposed brick walls.

IV: Adapting meant responding to both environmental concerns and the client’s needs. We used wood for the new structure and left it exposed, rather than hiding it under layers of finishings.

JP: The project also required adapting to contractors and their expertise, working closely with them throughout the process. The clients were particularly receptive, allowing us to implement our ideas freely—a rare and valuable experience.

From practice to theory

JP: From the outset, we built Augure on three pillars: alongside building, our primary focus, we balance our work with teaching and research. 

One of our research projects, supported by Pavillon de l’Arsenal and the Ville de Paris, explores time and public spaces used by platform delivery workers. We are mapping where they wait and developing strategies to improve their conditions

Subjected to the opaque logic of digital platforms, delivery workers live in a state of permanent precariousness. Their day is divided between unpaid waiting time and the frenzied rush of order deliveries. Our study focuses primarily on these waiting periods—those invisible interstices of the day—particularly during the lull of the afternoon. The distance from their places of residence and the hope for a new delivery create communal gathering points in areas with favourable geolocation.

IV: Another project focuses on housing developments from the 1970s—government-backed grouped housing that is now being altered without regard for its architectural value. We are documenting these homes to highlight their significance and explore preservation strategies. This ties into our broader interest in urban logistics and sustainability, integrating social and environmental considerations into our architectural practice.

JP: As for teaching, I am engaged in the evolution of pedagogical approaches aligned with emerging architectural practices. Over the past decade, architectural education has been undergoing a profound transformation, shaped by the urgency of the environmental crisis and further intensified by recent sanitary, economic, and geopolitical upheavals. In this shifting context, rural and peri-urban territories offer fertile ground for rethinking the discipline. Faced with the limitations of metropolitan concentration, at the Clermont-Ferrand School of Architecture we are convinced of the need to explore alternative scenarios. Once dismissed as inert or peripheral, these territories now emerge as laboratories for sustainable practices and transcalar thinking.

Looking ahead

IV: In the past few months, we were selected on two competitions. One involves the renovation of social housing, and the other is a collective housing project in south Paris, featuring a collective housing and six houses on top of an existing parking structure. We won the first with associate architects and are still waiting for the second one. 

JP: A growing number of social housing renovation projects are emerging, offering a significant opportunity for a new generation of architects to engage with the built environment in a transformative way. These interventions allow us to adapt existing structures to contemporary standards of comfort, climate resilience, and spatial dignity. They also present a vital terrain for defending architectural quality within constrained economic and regulatory frameworks. Looking forward, we are eager to expand our involvement in public projects—particularly those that engage with existing buildings—and to position ourselves at the intersection of public and private commissioning. We see renovation not as a compromise, but as a complex and fertile ground for architectural invention, where questions of density, material legacy, and social responsibility converge.