Raphaël Chivot, Matthieu Laviolle and Vincent Le Garrec – open-neck shirts and no Rolexes – are self-made men. An early schoolboy encounter was important; a sail together across the Atlantic, decisive. An agency was born first from camaraderie, then friendship: Nomade… all clear on the horizon and open-mindedness at a maximum.
Which means, no borders. Between Paris and Vannes (its two locations) the agency specializes in all projects. And it works everywhere. Nomade moves and grows.
Ideas swarm in the inventive minds of some thirty faithful co-workers who have taken to organizing themselves around centers of interest, from design to the worksite via research, communication and even computer science. Regarding the latter in fact, Nomade has proved to be ahead of the times. Sensing that lead-pencil drawings had run their course, the three associates were fascinated by computers and their capacities from very early-on and grew familiar with command lines, then all the possibilities offered by computers. Of course, 3D scale-models quickly became a communication tool, an interface between clients, companies and other players. In short BIM before time.
«We like to be challenged,» say the trio. Whether it’s technology forcing change, or a consulting firm proving nosy, or a client being cautious, it always comes down to the quality of the architecture and perfecting an approach. In any case the art of building can only come from the richness of exchange and the pleasure of sharing. To get there, Nomade favors conviviality.
A pinball machine has pride of place in our offices along with a table-football game. The competition can be ferocious. Great ricochet shot and goal! A bit amateurish? Not a jot, pure professionalism! It is important to design projects with all the seriousness of a child having fun. Original behavior where pleasure is the agency’s driving mantra.
In fact the three associates never cease to evoke a «magical symbiosis», between themselves, of course, but also between fun and gravitas or technique and intellectual practicality. Is that Nomade’s trademark? «Not at all,» they answer in unison. There is no trademark. Creation means renewal. Of course research becomes obsessive at times, but neither the agency nor its co-workers strive to endlessly repeat the same detail. In short, production without tics but plenty of tact.
Over time, Raphaël Chivot, Matthieu Laviolle and Vincent Le Garrec have learned to strike the proper measure. Displaying curiosity as much as seeking different construction systems or being open to different materials can only be done by mastering the project and its brief. This boils down to a simple, effective method. In short Nomade involves moving and travelling. Being Nomade means, above all, steadfast effort.