jacques ferrier architectures studio in paris, france image © designboom

on a recent visit to france, designboom met up with internationally practicing architect jacques ferrier at his studio in paris. located on a quiet street south of the city centre, the multi-level work space is housed in a three-storey building which shares its street facade with a number of different businesses.

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit view to the courtyard from the second storey image © designboom

located on the second floor, the main work space is arranged around the central courtyard in an open and permeable fashion. largely finished in white, the office is brightly illuminated by natural daylight. the perimeter of the space is compartmentalized to host a waiting area, meeting room and private offices. internal glazing is used over solid drywall to maintain a sense of transparency within the floor. 

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit waiting area image © designboom

since its establishment in 1990, jacques ferrier architectures has designed a wide range of projects ranging in both programs and scale, from public facilities to skyscrapers, housing to urban planning. concerned with the effect of architecture on a macrocosmic proportion, the studio continuously explores sustainable approaches to the discipline, considering all of today’s challenges that face the new city.

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit front of office with entrance staircase image © designboom

at the 2010 shanghai world expo, the firm represented france with a pavilion entitled ‘sensual city’, illustrating the idea of a man-made environment where nature and the senses took major roles in the space. often experimenting with skin and envelope conditions, jacques ferrier architecture has come to be recognized for their organic and expressive designs.

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit model of the french pavilion at the shanghai expo (2010) image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit french pavilion on the expo grounds image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit detail of facade to read more about the design, click here image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit meeting area image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit ‘overfly in choisy’ by jacques ferrier architectures in choisy le roi, france (2010) image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures photo by luc boegly

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit to see more images of the project, click here image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures photo by luc boegly

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit model making workshop image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit work table image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit model of ‘ZAC les jardins de la lironde’, a housing complex in montpellier, france (2013) image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit street exit connected to the workshop image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit ‘les yeux verts car park’ by jacques ferrier architecture in soissons, france (2010) image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures photo by luc boegly

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit to see more images of the car park, click here image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures photo by luc boegly

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit physical models of different scales from previous projects image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit model of ‘hypergreen’, a research project for a mixed use office tower block and services (2005) image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit detail of facade treatment image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit elevations image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit partial model of ‘office building in grenoble’ (2009) image © designboomjacques ferrier architectures studio visit street view of ‘office building in grenoble’ image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit images courtesy jacques ferrier architectures

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit partial facade model of ‘piper & charles heidsieck’ head office in reims, france (2008) image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit overall view of the head office image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit shots of the facade images courtesy jacques ferrier architectures

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit physical model of ‘euromed marseille’, offices and car showroom (2012) image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit preliminary model of ‘jiading high tech park’ in shanghai, china (2013) image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit rendered over view of ‘jiading high tech park’ image courtesy jacques ferrier architectures

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit jacques ferrier’s office image © designboom

the ground floor accommodates a small model-making workshop and a lounge for the employers. finished in a decidedly brighter palette, the kitchen is connected to the office by way of a neon-coloured staircase.

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit kitchen and lounge image © designboom

jacques ferrier architectures studio visit jacques ferrier in his studio portrait © designboom