Europe 40 Under 40 Awards Tell a friend
ARCHIVE 2014
40under40
 |
 |
Biography
In 2008, the four-partner architects collective ‘AJEANCE’ was formed, forged from the common interests of its founders, who met in 2001 at the Strasbourg School of Architecture. The partners share much more than the common ‘Jean’ of their names. Jean-Baptiste Leduc, Julien Jeanroy, Jean-Charles Riber, and Jean-Francois Laurent have in common a respect for exchange and dialogue in producing architectural work that is reflective of a shared philosophy.At AJEANCE, a multidisciplinary approach to architecture is realized through multifaceted design projects. Small-scale edifices (sheds, sculpture, furniture) represent a privileged experimental site from which to expound on larger scale projects. Meticulous attention to small-scale detail enables us to expansively approach larger projects such as houses, public recreational facilities, and apartments. We delight in experimentation, producing exceptional results in all projects, be they large or modest.Each project is approached with an eye toward aligning environmental concerns with the particularities intrinsic to each design. By tailoring our design to the need of users, we engage novel formal and conceptual attitudes, eschewing conventional aesthetics and formal codes and achieving an architecture made with love.While the collective places the utmost importance on issues of energy performance, durability, and overall maintenance, we are equally invested in taking responsibility for the carbon footprints our buildings generate, as well as their broader impact on our ecosystems.Our creative process has led us to develop constructive methods that are attuned to ecological wellbeing, primary among them the use of wood products. A lower-impact material than concrete or steel, wood is the only building material that is made by the sun and completely renewable through regenerative cycles. At AJEANCE, we have great respect for using low-impact materials, exploring the uses of such materials through meticulous collaborative design, and exceptionally meeting the needs of all projects, from apiary to housing complex.
