The DU BESSET-LYON Partnership was created in 1988 in Paris. It actually consists, besides the two partners, of ten full time employees, eight of whom are registered architects.
The office has been involved in the design and construction of several buildings in a number of areas: public amenities – mainly libraries- offices, housing, industrial constructions and interior design. The office is also in charge of several urban studies.
Du Besset-Lyon has been awarded “Equerre d’Argent” in 2002 (Le Moniteur prize), was finalist for the Mies Van der Rohe Prize in 2003, and was second “Prize for first achievement” in 1987 (Le Moniteur prize).
The office has established a reputation for quality in its architectural projects and is regularly invited in major competitions.
Each building and architectural project produced by the office is specific and its design is the result of a statement. In the statement we make clear our position by answering some basic questions: what ambitions, potentials, limits and contradictions can be found in the situations in which the projects will play its part? How does the project respond to the situation and bring coherence to it? How does it go beyond the ordinary condition? What are the advantages that architecture can bring? How architecture does relate to the cultural background?
Our positions, our concepts, constantly differ because there are no given situations, because we tend to be precise and because the means of architecture are, in principle, infinite. Accordingly our buildings do not look alike.