From freelance to an early practice

QS: I studied for five years at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Versailles and spent one year abroad in UIUC University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA and one semester doing a workshop with UFRJ Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, BZ. During my master’s, in my last year at Versailles, I was part of a student group working primarily at the urban and territorial scale—exploring geography, politics, and economics. It was a scale quite different from architecture but ultimately connected to it. My degree focused on the sequence of these different scales.

After graduating in 2012, I started working at Lambert Lenack. At that time, they were just beginning to associate, working on two main project types: large-scale housing developments and smaller-scale projects like flat renovations, extensions, and elevations. The smaller projects required more time but were less financially viable. When I joined, I worked mostly on these small and medium-scale, short-term projects—right after completing a diploma focused on large-scale urbanism. It was a stark contrast, but I enjoyed the fast-paced process.

I stayed at Lambert Lenack for about nine months before forming a collective with five other former Versailles students. We called it 13ruemadon and worked on various competitions, idea-based projects, and a flat renovation. The experience I gained at Lambert Lenack helped me manage these small-scale projects independently. Winning competitions and working collaboratively confirmed our desire to start our own practice. However, we knew we needed to complete an additional year of study—the Habilitation à la Maîtrise d’Oeuvre (HMONP)—to officially register ourselves as architects. In 2014, I worked freelance for an office while completing the HMONP, but when that office’s workload slowed down, I found myself with only two flat projects—not quite enough to launch my own practice, but enough to gain experience.

One of these projects led to a key opportunity. While working with a construction company, I developed a strong relationship with the director, who saw potential in having a young architect in its network. He tested me with a few small projects, and it worked out well. That was how everything started. I was just 26 at the time, and that initial connection gradually expanded my network. 

Scaling up, a decade later

QS: After my diploma, I gained short-term professional experience, which gave me the tools to independently manage small-scale projects, including construction phases. As a collective, we participated in the first Réinventer Paris competition and worked on the renovation of the Hôtel de la Bûcherie—a historic hôtel particulier in the 5th arrondissement. Réinventer Paris was a call for innovative urban projects for developers, investors, and designers. It focused on 23 sites across Paris, owned by the City of Paris. Hôtel de la Bûcherie was one of the sites included in the competition. We reached the final phase and placed second. That was a defining early experience. We were just 26 years old, working on an ambitious project. Now, 10 years later, I’m finally approaching that scale of work again—but with a completely different mindset. Fresh out of school, you see things differently. You don’t yet fully grasp the constraints that shape real-world projects. After a decade of experience, your perspective becomes more structured, framed by technical, financial, and regulatory realities. But that early, unconstrained vision still plays a role—it’s something I try to maintain in my work today.

That first Réinventer Paris competition took place in 2013-2014, and it generated a lot of buzz. It was a large-scale initiative. Hundreds of architects—Parisian, French, and international—participated. A unique aspect of this competition was the formation of teams comprising investors, contractors, and architects. The goal was to present Paris with ready-to-build projects. We were invited to join a team that had already passed the first, administrative phase. The original project leader and the architects had differing visions, leading to their separation, and we stepped in as the new architects. By the time we joined, the team was already well-established, with many members working under tight deadlines—just two or three months—to complete the first stage of the competition. The project aimed to merge the digital sphere with arts and crafts in a historical building in the 5th Arrondissement. Paris has a rich tradition of arts and crafts education, and the project sought to integrate this with the digital world, particularly through partnerships with institutions like École 42, a private institution of education in computer science where students are trained through peer-to-peer pedagogy, and project-based learning. The idea was to create a collaborative space where both fields could interact through co-working and events.

After this experience, work came naturally—I remained open to any type of project, regardless of scale or type, approaching each project without preconceptions. Now, after 10 years, I have worked on approximately 120 projects, including a dozen medium-to-large ones, each with construction costs between €500,000 and €1,5 million. In contrast, the Hôtel de la Bûcherie project from Réinventer Paris, if won, would have been a €5 million project. From both experience and logic, I’ve realised that larger projects are more financially sustainable. The fees architects earn increase proportionally with project size, yet every project—whether €700,000 or €2,5 million—requires a similar start-to-finish process. Over the last five years, I’ve consistently worked on 15 to 25 projects at the same time. Some are full architectural missions, while others involve advisory roles, expert analysis, or client consultation. Managing multiple projects simultaneously requires a strong organisational system. For me, organisation revolves around maintaining a structured digital archive, which makes it easy to retrieve past work, staying on top of a calendar, and communicating well. This system enables me to handle numerous projects efficiently. However, I recognise that sustaining this level of multitasking long-term may not be practical. At some point, shifting toward larger projects with fewer simultaneous commitments may be necessary. 

Lessons in renovation

QS: Many architects today are developing strategies to stand out. A common discussion is whether to specialise in a specific building type—housing, offices, hospitals, hotels, etc. Others, depending on their networks, focus on scenography or stage design. I’ve always preferred not to specialise. Architecture sits at the intersection of multiple fields, requiring an understanding of diverse disciplines. I often compare an architect to a conductor, orchestrating various specialists rather than being deeply focused on one area.

That said, if I had to define my speciality, it would be working with existing buildings rather than new construction. This aligns with my broader philosophy: rather than being limited to a specific type of project, I prefer the versatility that architecture offers. This specialisation wasn’t planned—it evolved step by step. Over the past 10 years, I’ve exclusively worked on existing buildings, handling rehabilitation, renovation, extensions, and elevations. Working with existing buildings feels particularly relevant today, given environmental concerns, carbon costs, and construction expenses. The idea of ‘building a city on top of the existing city’ aligns with my practice. In places like Paris, where there’s almost no space left for new construction, the ability to adapt and transform existing structures is becoming essential.

Looking ahead

QS: Uncertainty has been a recurring theme in my career—rather than adhering to a rigid strategy, I’ve remained open to unforeseen opportunities, which have often led to new and valuable experiences. Some of my projects are for a large real estate investment company. They purchase entire buildings for rental purposes, mainly in the retail sector. Over eight years of working with them, I’ve noticed an increasing number of vacant properties, even in prime city centers like Strasbourg and Nancy. My role often involves advisory work rather than direct architectural design, collaborating with local architects for execution.

Lately, I’ve been responding to some public market offers, and we won one just recently. Now, we’re working on our first public project—refurbishing a 30-room hotel in Pantin, a suburb of Paris. We also recently delivered a complete refurbishment/renovation of a 300m² space for a law firm near Place de la République in Paris. I understand the importance of balancing private and public commissions, so as I look ahead, I want to take on more public projects. However, I don’t want to start from scratch, especially since working solo without associates makes securing and responding to public tenders quite challenging.

Instead, I’m considering collaborating with other firms from my generation to submit joint proposals. One thing I’m certain of in this profession is that architecture is a generational field—you grow and evolve alongside your peers. That’s why, from the beginning, I’ve focused on making sure my work is visible to other architects. If you move forward with your generation, progress happens naturally.