ADRIEN MEUWLY
About our guest:
Comte/Meuwly cultivate the ability to be surprised, to be fascinated by unexpected encounters and discoveries. They develop each project as a narrative, based on the reading of a new situation. What they are observing is not the grandiose, the grandiloquent, nor the sublime, but characters, scenes, objects, places: anchor points whose beauty emerges from their scrupulous assembly, from their relationship in the project.
Founded in 2017 in Zurich and Geneva, Comte/Meuwly develop and construct projects at all scales. From a series of open-plan houses to the transformation of several heritage buildings and the construction of pieces of furniture, to interactive workshops and exhibitions. They have been invited for to lecture at EPFL Lausanne, ETH Zurich, the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, TUM Munich, HEAD Geneva, The Architecture Center in Zurich, The FHNW Basel and HSLU Luzern. They are participating in exhibitions and fairs such at the Milano Design Week or the Swiss Art Awards, for which they have been nominated in 2019.
Image credit: ©
Comte/Meuwly
About the topic / publication:
Through physical exploration of a context, direct practical engagement with the processes of construction and the development of an idea through research, we look at the unexpected potentials of the everyday, to identify the qualities in the conditions that we otherwise take for granted. The project also shows how using tools such as workshops and publications can inform the decisions being made throughout the process of design.
Universal Buvette took place last summer in the Alps. Based on 3 hypotheses (freedom of movement, of production, of convention) the 200 square meter roof of Universal Buvette was built in 2 days and served as a gathering and party place for 500 architecture students for a few days. The construction was designed to be easily dismantled and transported in a supermarket trolley. Universal Buvette is an experiment, making the most of the resources used, pushing everything to the limit to achieve maximum efficiency. In brief, economy becomes quality. The project was then developed in the form of a publication, an extract of which is included in this email as this week's reading.
Ordinary Luxury took place in the beginning of the year in Antwerp. The project was organised in 3 acts (Suburban Odyssey - Amplifying Conditions, Pop-up Luxury), each of them trying to lead to the certain understanding of a territorial and social situation.
Starting from looking at situations carefully, understanding the stories making a place, extracting and reinforcing the essence of situations, unexpected potentials are revealed. The narratives of the several interventions were conceived by walking and performing on site and led to a common understanding of the place.
These ideas are also applied across scales and project types, as is in the Permanent Weekend House.
Image credit: ©
Comte/Meuwly
Image credit: ©
Comte/Meuwly
Discussion date: Thursday 08th October, 2020.
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