Address by Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture and Communication, on the occasion of the presentation of the Grand Prix national de l'architecture 2010 to the architect Frédéric Borel

I am very pleased to welcome you here, rue de Valois, to this department.
which I ask you to consider as your home, the
house of architects, so to speak.

The jury of the Grand Prix national de l'architecture has just met and it
just announce the name of the winner, which I will do in a moment,
and to present to the latter the diploma of the Grand Prix, designed for you, I
reminds you, by the artist Daniel Buren, as well as an endowment of 10,000
euros.

But before I do, I would like to remind you of our
and our ambitions in the service of architecture and

architects.

Greater Paris is certainly a site that has mobilized strong
know-how and skills in the field of architecture.

Putting architecture and architects back in the heart of the City is indeed
my ambition, this was the wish that presided over the launch of the
international consultation. In this regard, Greater Paris
real renewal in the ways of thinking the city. It allowed
to place the architects-planners at the center of the concerns
cultural, social, economic and political.

For the first time since the post-war period, the conditions for
the city” is also based on the logic of separation of functions and
administrative skills, but on innovation capacity and
highlighting the architects' project.

Set up at the end of 2009 as an interest group
public (GIP), the international workshop of greater Paris was installed in February
2010, by the President of the Republic, in the heart of a place of creation
the Palais de Tokyo. I see there the sign of an architecture that
is the meeting point between heritage and foresight, between the
heritage and creation.

L'Atelier is the crucible of a true collective adventure. It must allow
develop the directions set out in the consultation and maintain
the originality and relevance of a unique and
of the ten architectural teams.

The entry at the end of the month, alongside the State, the City of Paris, the
region of Ile de France, the association of mayors of Ile de France (AMIF) and
of Paris Métropole is the guarantee of sustainability and plurality
of the Workshop’s work. I have no doubt that the reflections and
proposals initiated since the consultation of the 10 architectural teams
for Greater Paris, that it will strengthen its creative capacity
around a rethought governance.

Major French cities like Marseille, Nantes-Saint-Nazaire,
Lyon and Bordeaux have already conducted a similar reflection,
which was the subject of a presentation, unanimously welcomed, in the
French pavilion of the last International Biennial of Architecture of
Venice in 2010, whose President has entrusted the
architect Dominique Perrault, Grand Prix national de
the architecture.

This beautiful exhibition, which I had the pleasure of opening, shows the
from the urban unit to the metropolis, territory
fragmented and fragmented alternating full and empty, places and «non places» for
the beautiful expression of Marc Augé. In a society of the
mobility, new development models are emerging, and
new frontiers appear, new risks of segregation –
Spatial, generational – manifest.

Modern lifestyles and economies are both urban and
global, global and local, these two dimensions being linked
permanent. Urbanity historically based on place ceased to be the
monopoly of the city: it has gradually become «virtualized», it has become
«multi-location», it has become the «cloud city» evoked by the
sociologist Jean Viard. These are our major future challenges and the
will have to face it: develop, embellish, expand,
communicate about their attractiveness, become “sustainable” in order to retain
those who live today and those who want to settle there tomorrow.

Beyond the regional ambition of the Greater Paris initiative, I
pleased to know that the broad guidelines it has proposed
export abroad today, through the success of
the Grand Paris exhibition presented in Brazil on the occasion of the visit
of the President of the Republic, in Russia but also in
Germany, Sao Paulo, Santiago de Chile, Berlin, Oslo and Rome and
through the film shown notably in the French pavilion of the exhibition
universal in Shanghai and Atlanta.

The government of the Brussels capital region has launched a
international consultation on Greater Brussels based on the
model and expertise of Greater Paris. Likewise the elected representatives of the capital
teams of architects and urban planners for
Greater Moscow. This is also the case in Tokyo and Berlin, which
took up the idea of confrontation with local teams working on the
large-scale.

Workshops involving architecture students from schools
were organized to reflect on the reorganization of
territories of Greater Paris. I have no doubt that these
international cooperation in the educational field will continue.

An exhibition Grand Paris/ Grand Tokyo, exhibitions
debates in Tokyo in September 2011, the presentation of
exhibition on Greater Paris in Budapest and in different cities of
Hungary from late March 2011, in Tunis in autumn 2011, without forgetting
the presentation of Métropolis, the exhibition of the French Pavilion of
Venice Biennale in Sao Paulo for the Architecture Biennial
in November 2011. Laboratory of ideas, innovative approach, the Grand
Paris has become an internationally recognized model, it has become
in the world. This success is part of the renewed landscape of
The Ministry of Architecture is responsible for teaching architecture.

The teaching of architecture has been profoundly renewed and
I intend to accompany this transformation in the coming months

Training for architects in France is provided in 20 schools
national architecture, which are placed under the supervision of
They are home to nearly 20,000 students, including
professional, despite the crisis, is 85% on an employment contract
the third month after graduation.

The teaching of architecture was restructured in 2005 on the model
Master’s Degree (LMD). It is recognised
the multiplicity of international trade
students during the training but also the call to French architects
in international competitions.

We support this modernization with important
investments that have enabled, in recent years, the
restructuring or construction of schools in Paris-Val-de-Seine, Paris-
Belleville, Nantes, Saint-Etienne, Strasbourg and Clermont-Ferrand entrusted
to talented architects such as Marc Mimram and Dominique Lion.
I intend to continue this modernization of our schools.

Eight schools have developed double courses architect/engineer - Paris
Belleville, Marne la Vallée, Paris la Villette, Clermont Ferrand, Lyon,
Marseille, Nantes and Toulouse – leading to a diploma
and an engineering degree. We will strengthen this relationship
between the architect and the engineer by proposing four new
Dual courses in 2012.

From the Grands Ateliers de l'Isle d'Abeau (Isère), I wish to medium
the creation of a City of sustainable construction, federating schools,
equipment for which a call
offers have just been launched as part of the Grand
initiatives of excellence.

National Architecture Colleges have become
partners of the new university structures. They
have for the most part integrated research and teaching centres
higher education (PRES) as doctoral schools, contributing to the
creation of poles of excellence in areas of competence that
does not offer university. I will work to continue this integration.

There are many ways to support the quality of architecture in our

society and what I call “landscape pedagogy”, which is so important in the era of standardisation of lifestyles and standardization of taste.
I am pleased that my department has supported the
Fort Saint-Jean in Marseille, linked to the upcoming creation
the Museum of Civilisations and the Mediterranean (MUCEM), as well as
that of the Rohan-Soubise quadrilateral in Paris. Each of my actions
in the field of architecture, that they are at the level
regulatory, whether they concern the valuation or dissemination of
architecture, participate in this ambition. They participate in the
promotion of cultural diversity, plurality of languages and
vocabularies of creation.

We have thus worked on the implementation of other levers
to ensure compliance with architectural quality,
landscape and history of our living environment. I would like to say
two words from the Architectural and Heritage Development Areas
(AVAP) is a new tool to replace ZPPAUP, which has been created from time to time
of the law known as Grenelle 2 and which will be made effective by its decree
from spring of this year.

The economic and social development of our country
better control of space planning and renovation
urban. It also requires greater consideration of
environmental and cultural issues in the definition of the living environment.
Far from opposing, social development and sustainable development
must be combined.

I believe that the requirements of reviving activity can be reconciled
the strengthening of the social bond, the preservation and
cultural heritage, and those related to the preservation of standards
environment and biodiversity. This new
therefore now incorporates clear sustainable development goals,
compatible with the development project attached to the local plan
urban planning (PLU).

It will also strengthen the power of local decision-makers, obeying the
recognition of the expertise of communities in their territories
have the responsibility. Thus, only the latter can be on the initiative
the study and launch of an Area for the development of
architecture and heritage (AVAP). They will, I hope,
greater speed in the implementation of the work, as well as
strengthening the dialogue between communities and the State, but also between
community and populations.

Since this is my opportunity, I would like to speak on behalf of all of you, and
of course in my own name, to pay a final tribute to the architects
who have left us for the past 18 months.

And first, I’d like to pay tribute to the youngest of them,
Henri Rivière who left us far too soon, at 45, and who trained with
his partner and friend Alain Moatti the talented tandem that we
soaps.

Michel Kagan, great neo-modern architect in the tradition of his master
Ciriani, and winner of the first albums of the young architecture in 1980
before becoming Architect Council of the State from 1994. Jean-Marie
Charpentier, to whom we owe the famous Shanghai Opera.

Claude Vasconi, figure of the architecture of the 80s, man too
generous in his life that in his projects to which we owe the
discovery of a symbolic and strong architecture, from Mulhouse to Reims
and from Bourges to the Forum des Halles in Paris. François Deslaugiers,
architect with a high degree of constructive rigour.

I also want to quote Jean Duthilleul, the great architect and father of Jean-
Marie Duthilleul, architect too, whom you all know. Finally
Alain Vasconsin, Orleans architect who was also president of
the Union nationale des syndicats français d'architectes and the Union
professional professions. We all miss, and all
are lacking in your profession.

I come now, and to conclude, to the National Grand Prix of
the architecture that I will be putting back in a moment and that also participates
recognition of your profession. Awarded every two years to a
architect or an agency for all his work, he represents the
highest distinction in your field nationally.

For this edition we have issued a call for applications for
«Twenty years of a built work», a way of recalling the foundation
of any project in the field of architecture: build, because without this
act, the architect would only be a draftsman. The jury held under my
President, and I thank him very much for his commitment and seriousness
of his work throughout this day. Allow me to salute
its members in alphabetical order: Dominique Alba, André Aschieri,
Pierre-Christophe Baguet, Philippe Bélaval, Lionel Carli, Jean-Paul
Cluzel, Anne-Marie Fèvre, Bertrand-Pierre Galey, Eric Garandeau, Anne
Lacaton, François Lamarre, Jean-Marc Michel, Alain Philip, Guillaume
Poitrinal, Christian de Portzamparc, Francis Rambert, Beatrice de
Rochebouet, Gérard Thurnauer, Christophe Vallet.
This very high-level jury was able to consider 44 applications. Allow me
this evening to pay tribute to each of them. They translate
all the very high level of expertise, creativity and intelligence of the
architecture society in our country.

I now have the honour of proclaiming the winner of the National Grand Prix
of architecture 2010.

Dear Frédéric Borel, after your studies at the Special School of Architecture
(ESA), your talent has been recognized: you have been awarded the Albums de la
Young Architecture and Villa Medici outside the walls. Your first
achievements reveal a style of composition and an architectural gesture:
they break with the then dominant minimalist architecture. The
Parisian buildings on rue Oberkampf (1993) and rue Pelleport
(1998) that you realize reflect a formal radicality; they compose
colourful and sculpted urban stories, in dialogue with their
environment.

You claim a singular approach, sometimes focusing on fragmentation
of polychrome volumes, sometimes on simple and massive blocks,
the image of some of the public facilities you have built.
Cultivating an aesthetic of the fragment at the service of the human bond and
together, you combine both formal rigour and
freedom plastic tinged with poetry. Your conception of the city
is similar to a «collage» in the way of cubists, capable of creating
the surprise, to produce the unexpected and thus create the conditions for a
new freedom in the city.

Dear Frédéric Borel, you whose buildings with exploded volumes,
dematerialised veils sometimes oblique – sometimes similar
true naves in a state of weightlessness - you whose achievements
fragment as much as they magnetize the look, you who have worked
on many public facilities, among which, to name a few
that France, the Centre des Impôts de Brive (1999), the University of Agen
(1998), the Rue Moskowa nursery school in Paris (2000), the Palais de
Justice of Narbonne (2005), the cultural center of Mont Saint-Aignan
(2006) or the Paris School of Architecture Val-de-Seine (2007),
the honour and great pleasure to present you with this Grand Prix diploma
national architecture.