Encore Heureux Architectes is an architecture firm composed of 25 employees, led by 3 partners, Nicola Delon, Sébastien Eymard, and Sonia Vu. The firm has been exploring the idea of generalist architecture since 2001, operating at different levels on spatial, social and urban issues with a tactful efficiency that pervades its projects. Encore Heureux Architectes has delivered several cultural and innovative equipment for public, private, and non-profit commissioners, where questions of use and comfort are fundamental concerns. The projects take into considerations for the recovering of pre-existing buildings and the use of repurposed materials, while favouring resident appropriation through unprogrammed spaces and functions, opting for an on-site method that aims to cater to the needs at hand.

As Commissioner of the 2014 exhibition “Gray Matter” held at the Pavillon de l’Arsenal in Paris, Encore Heureux Architectes advocates for the reuse of materials as a challenge in response to resource exhaustion in construction. The firm is conscious of the fact that there can be no construction without materials; that is to say, without destruction or consumption, no project can hit the mark and be economically sparing without investing in its inventiveness. In 2018, Encore Heureux Architectes was commissioned the French Pavilion as part of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, for its “Infinite Places” exhibit, an inventory of spaces that embody the unexpected and a sense of common aspiration. With projects such as the renovation of the Grande Halle de Colombelles, a symbol of industrial heritage elevated as a third place for the Caen circular economy, and the transformation of a former auto-shop garage into a housing programme located at 85 rue Petit in Paris, the agency is accustomed to working on complex projects and breathing new life into them.

Encore Heureux Architectes was recently awarded the Ateliers Médicis project for a new location in Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil. The agency is implementing sustainably sourced and reused materials on this national-scale cultural facility that operates with an international influence.