D’Houndt+Bajart
architectes&associés – dare to be an architect
“Faithful
to the imagination” is the signature of
the firm of architects D’Houndt+Bajart. They create a language of their own,
and reinvent it with every new project, however modest or grand.
It is all about setting aside predefined
standards and devising innovative techniques for breathing life into a sketch,
achieving the purity of a line – the polar opposite of a conventional
collection of standardized elements.
“Our dedication to quality, our
architectural objective is to create ‘in real life’ a construction that is as
faithful as possible to the image we developed together with the client.”
New project, new story
Like a story that is unique, every project
is rooted in its present, integrating its environment and the people who plan
to live there, with the determination to give the building a strong,
self-confident identity. Just as Michel Mourlet said about the cinema, Vincent
and Bertrand talk about architecture as an art that creates “a world that
matches our desires”. A conviction shared by this firm, which will this year be
presenting some outstanding projects, such as the multimedia library in Tourcoing and the
cutting-edge housing project on Rue Winoc Chocqueel.
A team working in the service of architecture
Taking the challenge presented by the
client as its starting point, the firm of six architects works like a
laboratory of ideas that, in the implementation of its designs, relies on
providers specializing in engineering, economics, landscape architecture and
sustainable development. In each and every case, constructive exchange and a
joint approach to architecture help the firm to find, invent and discover
everything that is needed in the construction and that, so far, did not exist.
Completely unique
For us, it is not about playing
sophisticated brain games. The political economy, passion and urbanism are the
means we need to solve a problem that is above all an ethical one.
There is no excuse in life for being
anything other than absolutely passionate. And we know how it’s done.
Potlatch,
29 June 1954
Landmarks
The firm D’Houndt+Bajart
architectes&associés was created in 2006. It comprises a team of six
architects, including its founding members Vincent D’Houndt and Bertrand Bajart,
both government-certified (D.P.L.G.) architects and graduates from the School of Architecture
and Landscape Architecture in Lille.
The firm’s clients include the
Geophyle-Décathlon Group, the Ramery Group, Bouygues Immobilier, housing
associations and local authorities as well as private clients and developers.
This year, the firm will be presenting a
range of outstanding projects, including a leisure complex for Geophyle at
Carré Sénart, a highly innovative multimedia library – both aesthetically and
in terms of energy performance – in Tourcoing (59th département), a low-energy housing project with a cutting-edge
design, and the extension of Compiègne police station.