François Scali is a Paris-based architectural practice established during the 20th century. Its founder, François Scali, a carpenter and designer, set-up the practice out of necessity: orders are rare for a newly graduated architect. From that history, the practice retains the passion of tool materials and craftsmanship. Francois Scali defines himself as an architect very concerned with technique.
The first architectural projects of the practice in London were for a fashion design company "Maharishi Hardy Blechman" François Scali designed two buildings in Covent Garden and Soho. Adverse issues caused by the British engineering industry forced him to improvise on site, hence his commitment to the phrase "delegate as seldom as possible".
The work of the practice is characterized by a diversity of specialisations for opportunistic reasons as well as choice. For François Scali, the best questions are always the first ones that are asked at the beginning of a project, rather than those which arise during the design process.
For François Scali, invention is probably the first quality of an architect, almost a duty, a social role. But today's architecture is lacking, like the Housing we always build for social reasons, quasi Haussmann...
Architecture is heavy, literally and figuratively. Real progress is so slow ... But against this weight progress creates excitement, and challenges gravity in every sense. It enables us to find ways to transcend the weight of social structures and to find joy and be conscious of existing for others.