A lucky break

AD: In France, everything is centralised in Paris. If you want to travel to Marseille or Saint-Malo, you often have to pass through the capital. So, when setting up an office, being in a strategic location is more practical, allowing easy access to projects across the country. For instance, we completed projects in Marseille and Niort, both just two and a half to three hours away by train.

EF: It’s much easier to be based in Paris, especially for our type of architecture. We specialise in care buildings, which are spread throughout France. Interestingly, we started with a project in central France, two and a half hours away by car from Paris, in a place with no train station. So, our beginnings had nothing to do with Paris, yet we ended up here.

AD: We started from scratch. Just after finishing our studies, we had very little but also very few financial obligations. It was the right moment to take a risk. If it didn’t work out, we could always go back to working for a firm. When you start later, say at 40, it’s harder—you might have a family, need a bigger flat, and have more responsibilities. On the other hand, starting after gaining experience in other practices allows you to take on bigger projects right away. Beginning young meant a longer path to building experience and securing larger commissions step by step. 

EF: Our first big project happened kind of by chance. We knew some doctors who wanted to build a large medical centre, and we applied for the private competition. We were only 27 at the time, and we won. That was the lucky part. But beyond luck, we quickly realised that working with doctors was very interesting—we shared similar values and priorities. This project shaped our path, and from then on, we focused on healthcare architecture.

AD: For that first project, we had only one week to submit our design. We worked day and night in Emmanuel's Mother garage. At that point, our office wasn’t even formally established, but when we won, we made it official. The first year was difficult since we had only one commission to sustain us. But designing and building that project was an invaluable experience. In 2010, multidisciplinary medical centres were a new concept in France, and there was growing public discussion about the shortage of doctors in rural areas. Our work was not just about architecture but also about addressing a societal issue. That’s when we realised we wanted to specialise in this field.

EF: A funny anecdote about that initial phase relates to the name of our practice, OGLO. When we decided to work together, we spent time searching for a name for our office. We liked the graphic aspect of "OGLO"—the balance of the letters was visually appealing. We tested many names, writing them down and experimenting with typography. Later, we realised "OGLO" is an anagram of "logo," which was a coincidence but a fitting one. We have a strong sensitivity to graphic design and balance, down to the smallest details in our work.

A new look for care centres

AD: We focus on urban medical centres, which have evolved significantly over the years. At first, they were simple spaces for doctors, but now they are more multidisciplinary, incorporating various specialities. The way doctors work has changed, too, which means every project feels new and different. That’s what makes it such an interesting field for us.

EF: We also work with many public clients, such as municipalities, who see medical centres as a way to revitalise their towns. It’s not just an architectural issue; it’s an urban planning challenge as well. Medicine and city planning are deeply connected. There’s also been a shift in the aesthetics of these spaces. Ten years ago, doctors expected care centres to resemble small hospitals in terms of design. Today, they want something completely different—more welcoming, with colours, artwork, and natural materials. This shift has been significant.

AD: There’s a stronger emphasis on creating a domestic atmosphere in medical buildings. If we look at our own evolution, our first project reflected what we learned in school—clean, modernist, and safe. We didn’t take many risks because it was our first project. Over time, we gained experience and began experimenting with new materials and solutions. We also worked in historically protected areas, which required us to adapt and integrate our designs into the local context. This process helped us refine our architectural approach and develop a more nuanced style.

Even though working in this field may sound repetitive, it’s quite the opposite. For example, after COVID, people recognised the importance of having medical centres in cities—not just hospitals, but smaller medical facilities integrated into urban areas. In Paris, for example, there weren’t enough, so sports centres were repurposed as vaccination sites. Some of our medical centres were also requisitioned as initial points of contact before patients were sent to hospitals, which were overwhelmed. This shift highlighted the need for more small-scale medical facilities within cities and we, as Oglo, could play an important role.

Evolving with medical architecture

AD: When applying for care projects, each speciality—psychiatry, cardiology, and so on—requires specific references. It’s not enough to be a generalist in care architecture. We’ve focused on specialities we’re familiar with, but it’s a long process to expand into new ones. A way to gain new expertise is by working on multidisciplinary projects. For example, we're currently building a care centre called Health and Imaging Centre of Les Clayes-sous-Bois, with doctors and paramedical specialities we've already worked with, but this project also includes an imaging centre—something new for us. Because it’s connected to a program we’re experienced in, we could take it on. Generally, if a project contains about 80% of specialities we’ve handled before and 20% that are new, we can take it on and expand our expertise. Over more than a decade, we've worked on nearly 50 medical and paramedical specialities. In Verneuil-sur-Avre, for example, we delivered a 2,000-square-meter care building with 35 medical offices covering a wide range of specialities, including acupuncture. This kind of diversity has defined our practice.

EF: For now, we don’t necessarily want to explore different typologies. We’d rather continue working in healthcare but on larger and more complex projects. This field is vast and constantly evolving. One interesting development is the integration of medical centres with other programs, such as airports and housing projects. While this isn’t entirely new, it remains uncommon. 

AD: We strongly advocate for this architectural mix. Securing space for medical centres is challenging, especially in Paris, where ground floors are typically occupied by shops or offices. Given the need for accessibility, medical centres must be on the ground floor, but suitable spaces are scarce. That’s why we support integrating them into mixed-use developments. We are also open to collaborating with architects from other fields—those experienced in sports centres, housing, and other building types—to create hybrid projects.

There are two projects that are important for our practice and illustrate our approach. In Maule, for this new medical centre, we sought to maximise the glazed surface while minimising solar gain on the four identical facades—an apparently contradictory challenge. Working with our partners but also with the mayor and heritage services, we discovered that the perfect balance between void and solid was the key. This is how the "comb" in precast architectural concrete was born, studied very early on with a specialist to achieve both this traditional masonry appearance through sandblasted concrete and the absence of joints at floor levels. In Orléans, the MSP Porte Madeleine confronted us with the constraints of a building listed as a Historic Monument, with meticulous work replacing wooden windows and selective conservation of historic steel structures.

These two projects, although very different by nature, illustrate our general philosophy: architecture must serve both patients and caregivers. We pay particular attention to the patient journey—from reception to signage through waiting areas—and to the quality of care spaces as genuine workplaces. Whether in new construction or heritage buildings, our priorities remain the same: natural light, choice of materials, acoustics, and that soothing atmosphere essential to care.

Exploring new horizons

EF: We are also exploring projects beyond mainland France and currently have two underway in Guadeloupe. A contact recommended us to the clients, and we became their reference. We've travelled there several times and see a lot of potential work in the Antilles—Guadeloupe, Martinique, and beyond. The healthcare system there is similar to France’s but needs modernisation. The clients were eager to work with a contemporary architect to differentiate their centres from existing ones. The climate there is completely different, which brings new challenges.

AD: The two projects are quite different. One is a small clinic for an ENT specialist, located in an existing building where we’re redesigning the interiors. The other is a completely new construction on an empty site. For the first project, we’re only handling the design, while a local architect manages the construction. For the second, we’re partnering with a Guadeloupe-based architect who understands the local climate, seismic conditions, humidity, and other environmental factors. This collaboration is crucial—we bring expertise in medical architecture, while they bring knowledge of local construction methods. It’s a complementary partnership. However, expanding our presence in Guadeloupe is a challenge. It’s a new market, and it takes time to establish credibility and build relationships.

EF: The clients are from Guadeloupe, so they understand how people interact with healthcare facilities. Our role is to contribute our expertise in architecture, design, and spatial organisation.

AD: One interesting realisation from our work in Guadeloupe was that despite having many talented architects, there wasn’t much focus on small-scale medical buildings. There are plenty of books and research on hospital architecture, but very little on smaller care facilities like private medical offices. This mirrors the situation in mainland France. Most of our projects involve these small structures, which are often overlooked in architectural discourse. The reason they reached out to us is that local architects, while skilled, haven't specialised in this niche. With over a decade of experience working closely with doctors, we understand their specific needs. That specialisation is what sets us apart.

EF: We see Guadeloupe as an opportunity to further explore healthcare architecture in new contexts. At the same time, we’re restructuring part of the Nogent-le-Rotrou Hospital in rural France and applying for similar projects in both Paris and other regions. Our goal is to continue progressing and refining our expertise.

AD: Many of our past projects came through competitions. Interestingly, we often lost competitions for simple, standalone buildings but won those involving complexity—renovations, vertical extensions, or highly technical requirements. This pattern has shaped our expertise. While we sometimes wish we had more straightforward projects, we’ve built a reputation for handling complex ones. Now, we’re interested in tackling even more challenging hospital projects. 

EF: Finding complexity in projects forces us to focus on essential architecture—not necessarily "efficient" in the conventional sense, but rationalised and thoughtful. That’s the direction we want to take.