Centrale Lyon ENISE: Can you shed some light on your respective study paths?
Valentin: I'm in the 4th year of a double Architect/Engineer course between the Saint-Etienne School of Architecture and Centrale Lyon ENISE. The 4th year corresponds to a Master 1 in architecture and a bachelor's degree in engineering. At the end of this year, I'll have two years left in engineering at Centrale Lyon ENISE.
Anthony : I'm also in the 4th year of a double Architect/Engineer curriculum, but between the École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Lyon and the École nationale des travaux publics de l'État (ENTPE). Like Valentin, within 3 years I'll have my two degrees.
Centrale Lyon ENISE: Why this dual curriculum? What motivated your choice of training?
Valentin:we studied science in high school and wanted to embark on a course in architecture without giving up learning math, science and physics. So this double-curriculum was the perfect opportunity. Dual skills offer greater autonomy in projects thanks to a mastery of engineering. This makes sense in the architectural career we want to have.
Anthony:the double degree also broadens the job opportunities for us. We'll be able to work in different structures depending on what we want to do: architectural practice, project management, design office...
We were able to test our ability to collaborate and organize our work. It was also a competition that brought us closer together around an architect we like.
Centrale Lyon ENISE: Let's get down to the Concrete Trophy. How did you find out about it? Why did you want to take part?
Anthony :The Trophée Béton is a competition that has been running for 13 years. It is organized into two categories. The first is aimed at young graduates via their Projet de Fin d'Etude (PFE). The "Studio" category, which concerns us, is intended for students in the course of their studies. The twenty or so teams entered had to choose a concrete work from the 20th or 21st century and propose a reinterpretation. The dossier had to consist of a text presenting our vision and plans, sections, graphic documents and possibly a model.
Valentin: We both discovered the competition last year, each of us helping fellow students who were taking part. This edition of the Trophée Béton was an opportunity to test ourselves together and bring our shared passion for concrete to life. This competition brought us closer to this material.
Anthony: This competition was also an opportunity to work on a work by Le Corbusier, an architect we really appreciate. We wanted to reveal the Usine Duval in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to the public. It's the only industrial building built by Le Corbusier and it remains little-known.
Valentin: Indeed, Le Corbusier is very well known for his housing units, notably the one in Marseille built at the same time. The factory has remained in the shadows. Yet there are common elements between the two.
Centrale Lyon ENISE: So you worked on the Usine Duval in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. Why this choice? What's your take on this factory?
Valentin: As we said, it's a little-known construction by Le Corbusier built in the 1950s. And it's also located in the Vosges, a region in which we have ties. But above all, when we visited it for the first time, we were struck by the two pink sandstone gable walls. They encircle the factory and anchor the building in the rosy landscape. After all, this local stone has been used extensively in this town. The factory, although very modern due to the use of concrete, blends into the background thanks to these two gables. It blends in with the town's memory and physiognomy.
Anthony: In this factory, there's also an issue linked to working conditions that we wanted to transcribe in our project. Le Corbusier thought about the well-being of employees and offered exceptional working conditions, notably through the relationship with the landscape and light. We wanted to show the intelligence and functionality of the site for those who work there every day, even today. These choices were and are out of step with today's factories.
Valentin: Le Corbusier had called this factory, the green factory as opposed to a black factory. It's surprisingly modern and has many features that today we would link to environmental issues. For example, all spaces are lit by natural light. It's also developed vertically to use less floor space. Finally, the first floor was originally equipped with a large bicycle park. For the Trophée Béton, we therefore wanted to highlight a work from the past that still has a lot of resonance with today's issues.
Anthony: I'd like to add one last avant-garde subject imagined by Le Corbusier: the reuse of stone. The pink sandstone walls of the factory are assembled with stones from the ruins of the old factory. Reuse is such a topical subject, it's astonishing. Le Corbusier also used mixed materials, which are also topical.
Centrale Lyon ENISE: What did this experience bring you on a personal and professional level?
Anthony : On a personal level, this was our first competition and our first competition together. We were able to test our ability to collaborate and organize our work. It's also a competition that has brought us closer together around an architect we like.
Valentin: On a professional level, reinterpreting is a particular exercise that we'd never had the opportunity to do. During our studies, projects revolved around analysis or design.
Anthony: The Trophée Béton also gave us visibility (publication in a magazine, opening up to contacts...) and enabled us to benefit from coaching. This competition is really genuine and puts a lot of effort into highlighting students' work.
Centrale Lyon ENISE: Valentin, how did your training at Centrale Lyon ENISE help you with this project?
Valentin: In analyzing the plant, the dual Architect/Engineer vision helped a lot. The two axes were completely intertwined. On one side, we have the skeleton of the concrete plant, a perfect example of engineering. On the other, we have the sensitive, plastic gables of architecture. Taking a dual training course, made it easy for me to understand things, for example spanning concrete spans, ways of pouring concrete with form boards, armoring the base...
Centrale Lyon ENISE: How did this competition help you better understand your future profession?
Anthony: In our approach, we wanted to integrate both visions. The vision of the architect, someone who knows how to integrate into the landscape, history and culture through materials, shapes, proportions, colors... And the vision of the engineer who masters the use of concrete and its capacities, the organization of worksites... This project around the Duval factory shows the complementary nature of the architect and the engineer. And that's what we stand for in our future profession.
Centrale Lyon ENISE: After this great success, what are your plans? Any other competitions together?
Valentin: We're currently working on another competition with M.PERRIN, a teacher at Centrale Lyon ENISE. We've chosen to renovate a bookshop in Bourg-en-Bresse. The aim, as with the Trophée Béton, is to work with one material, in this case steel. The difference lies in the fact that the rehabilitation of the bookshop corresponds to a real demand. It's also a competition that places greater emphasis on engineering. But we'll obviously be using our knowledge of architecture. The brief will be submitted before next summer.