A generation in transition

AJAM: We believe our generation has a mixed perspective. On one hand, we’re shaped by the overwhelming amount of information and challenges coming our way. On the other hand, we’re deeply motivated to drive change and meet these evolving expectations head-on. So yes, there’s a new wave of emerging architects, but it’s really a reflection of society as a whole. These aren’t just challenges for architects; they’re challenges for everyone. 

This dual perspective often splits into two views: one alarmist, seeing crises as threats, and the other, while acknowledging the urgency, treats them as opportunities for transformation. We lean toward the second view. If people embrace change and see challenges as chances to evolve, we can create meaningful impact. It’s not about being overly negative or panicking—it’s about turning current problems into progress. Facing these challenges isn’t optional; it’s essential. Climatic, social, financial—everything is shifting. We must recognise and adapt to this systemic change to move forward.

A practice in progress

AJAM: We met at the ENSAM (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Montpellier) in Montpellier, in the south of France. In our final year, a municipality approached ENSAM with a mission, and the school trusted us to take it on. This project was the rehabilitation of a small and old train station along an abandoned track that had been converted into a greenway. The contracting authority wants to transform it into a rest area for cyclists. From this first collaboration, we decided to formalise our association. Before that, we’d been informally teaming up for five years, so it was natural to formalise our collective. After graduating, we continued collaborating on projects such as architecture festivals and workshops—small-scale proposals that allowed us to build a common architectural vision and stay engaged. 

Today, we continue to balance our time between AJAM projects and working in agencies in Montpellier and Paris. Learning from experienced architects remains essential to our development. While it’s not always easy, this combination allows us to grow, strengthen our skills, and gradually shape our vision for a fully independent practice in the future. Our setup is flexible for now. We each work at different agencies, gaining diverse skills and insights, which we bring back to AJAM. This collective knowledge strengthens our practice and keeps us connected. While we’re building something meaningful together, we want to take our time. For now, gaining experience from varied work sites feels essential.

Ephemeral starts

AJAM: Since when we were at school, ephemeral projects felt like an accessible way to explore and test ideas. Temporary projects offered us the freedom to experiment with concepts we might not have been able to try on larger scales. For example, during the Festival des Cabanes in Annecy—a gathering that invites architects from around the world to design and build temporary wooden structures in natural settings—we collaborated and experimented with construction techniques, using only locally sourced wood from the surrounding area. We experimented with techniques like burning and bending wood, even constructing a steam chamber on-site to shape it. The entire process became a hands-on exploration. We designed a cabin with an autonomous morphology. In plan view, we draw a pure form: a circle. We identify two notions through this composition. The first is the notion of centrality, the perception of a circular space that refers the being to itself. The second is the notion of verticality, a symbolic link connecting the earth and the sky. If we briefly talk about the architectural expression, it is mainly characterised by a structure signifying this quest for verticality.

The temporary nature of these projects also makes us think about sustainability and impact. Even with bio-sourced materials, we have to question the broader implications of our work. Small-scale projects like these let us explore ideas quickly and refine them with minimal risk, but the lessons we learn can often be scaled up. For us, ephemeral projects are a playground for experimentation and shaping the way we approach more permanent solutions. 

Another example is our proposal for the Festival de l’Architecture Vive in Montpellier, where we had the opportunity to further explore the potential of ephemeral structures. For the festival, a specific theme is given at the outset—in this case, we were invited to respond to the theme of ‘sacredness’. Our site was situated between an old medical faculty and the largest cathedral in Montpellier, making it an inherently sacred space.

Interestingly, this aligned with concepts we had explored in the Annecy project, such as the relationship between earth and sky. Here, we expanded on the idea of ‘sacredness’ by connecting it to ritual. We saw a link between ‘dead’ materials and sacredness, ultimately interpreting the monolith as a symbol of the sacred. Crystallising a dead material. Material can be removed from an intended function, becoming a dead material, without actually being dead. We believe in using this so-called dead material as a resource to crystallise new possibilities. We identified a valuable source within the vernacular architecture of the region: tiled roofs and various local demolition sites, considered as our material stock. After defining an experimental process and producing several series of samples, we succeeded in formulating a tile-based concrete made entirely from reused materials.

An experiential approach

AJAM: When it comes to our approach, we believe the term ‘experience’ captures our intent. First of all, we experiment with the design process. This process revolves around three key notions: place, material, and space.

When we talk about ‘place’ that means understanding a site’s history and components, which is fundamental. We explore the temporal and spatial dimensions of a location. ‘Material’ responds to human aspirations. We focus on their texture, composition, and characteristics to shape our architectural expression. ‘Space’ must be clearly defined in relation to its inhabitants—whether as neutral, defining, flexible, or evolving spaces. Though currently focused on these three aspects, and that which allows us to work collectively, our approach remains open to evolution, allowing for future growth and refinement. Experience is also talking about experimenting in a crisis context, engaging reflections on flexibility and adaptability with a long-term vision, we want to explore transformations—spatial situations, aesthetics, narratives, temporal layers—and also experiment with materials and construction systems. We also talk about practicing and cultivating the experience. Practicing through several constructive processes we have personally practiced, we enjoy it. And cultivating through every past experience that influences the new one—references, personal experiences—and shared visits, building a shared culture.

A tower from fragments

AJAM: One project that reflects our design process is a competition proposal for the Barrage de Malpasset. We began by reflecting on the essence and layered history of the site. Located near Fréjus in southern France, the area is shaped by the Reyran River, known for its hydrological fluctuations. In 1952, a dam was built, creating the artificial Lake of the Reyran. However, just five years later, heavy rainfall led to the dam’s collapse, causing a devastating flood that left lasting physical and psychological scars on the region.

Our challenge was to reframe the perception of this site—transforming chaos into potential. Focusing on the ruins of the dam, we explored how these massive fragments could serve as a foundation for something new. This led us to design a neutral space, one that prioritises simplicity and liberty. The space consists of platforms that provide a versatile framework for individual or collective use. To address this plurality of scenarios, neutral surfaces are multiplied.  By multiplying these platforms, we introduced verticality, creating a dialogue with the site’s history and contrasting the horizontal nature of the dam.

The verticality of the design symbolises a response to the dam’s collapse, representing a rise from the chaos. This shift in perspective inspired the creation of a tower-like morphology. The structure is composed of modular units: four pillars supporting a waffle platform, repeated across five levels. The pillars also serve as vertical circulation, connecting the different levels while allowing for varied interactions with the surrounding environment.

The project seeks a balance between an architecture that is profoundly soaring up and one that remains silent, revealing no clear functions. The tower’s morphology extends vertically from the ruin, with its programmatic neutrality reducing architecture to its essence: structure. The project was part of a competition for young architects, with the condition that the proposal had to use wood as the primary material. We were drawn to this site because of the massive, abandoned concrete dam—a structure with no current utility. Our goal was to repurpose this infrastructure. This reflects a broader principle we value: consider reusing what already exists, rather than starting from scratch.

The starting point for us was materiality. We worked with a large, heavy concrete element and wanted to juxtapose it with something light, like wood, along with even lighter components such as small cross-sectional materials. The idea was to explore how we could create a sense of massiveness using lightweight materials. This led us to layer smaller elements, opposing and assembling them using galvanised steel connections. The result was an ‘embroidered’ system—simple to execute while maintaining structural strength. The small scale of these elements allows for a variety of wood types, resulting in a hybrid structure adaptable to multiple contexts and regions. The hybridity of the structural system allows it to develop its universality. The choice of small cross-sectional materials is a solution to current environmental and socio-economic issues by ensuring a balance between production and ecosystem protection and a consistent activity in the timber industry.

The wall, a catalyst of intensification

AJAM: In 2023, we participated in the Europan competition, focusing on a project of a larger scale. For this edition, we chose to work on the site of Guérande. This area holds a strong identity, rooted in its geographical location and centuries-old cultural heritage. While this history enriches the town, it also creates limits in terms of development and its relationship with the surrounding territory. The city is attractive, but the places of intensity are concentrated in very specific spaces. Yet the city of Guérande is enmeshed with open spaces, which are nowadays underused. The potential is there. The project advocates an intensification of the existing spaces to support a reading and respect for the different landscapes and to see Guérande again as a living city. 

The project Support Sur Pierre recreates the city through the presence of the wall, symbol of the medieval city, resources, and the local composition. The project is a fragmentation of a unique and circular element. The wall of the city becomes plural. The fragments of wall scattered in the city draw a new vertical landscape. This architectural element is used like grafts and urban staples.

Thus, each public, built, or landscaped space has a wall. It is not limited to the medieval city nor to mark the centre. These elements linked to places of existing intensities turn into high-traffic places. The city then becomes the centre of different identities and stories, linked by a chain of major places. This urban framework represents neither a single route nor a path, but the possibility of travelling from place to place, potentially without depending on the car.