In 2023, dd.a was commissioned to carry out the heritage assessment and masterplan for the Villa Arson. For the agency’s 38th workshop, Caroline Couraud, Managing Director of le troisième pôle, a cultural engineering agency, spoke about the benefits of integrating her practice into the masterplan process. dd.a and le troisième pôle have had opportunities to work together, notably on the Kepler project in Nice and, at various stages, on the project to create the Animation Cinema City in Annecy. Beyond their respective areas of expertise, they share common aspirations, particularly regarding the need to demolish and build as little as possible and, consequently, to make the most of what (and who!) is already there.
At the moment when, within dd.a, the development of the Villa Arson masterplan was beginning to take shape, it also became clear that the process risked missing the opportunity not only to repair but also—above all—to improve what already exists. How? By bringing out the needs of those who are already there. Le troisième pôle has built up experience and the ability to identify needs—most often upstream of design projects—by engaging with the individuals present or expected to arrive. Its work begins by informing them about the ongoing reflection, then by interviewing (individually or collectively, during organised or spontaneous conversations) at least one representative of each type of user (in this case, students, teachers, management, staff, neighbours, etc.) before organising a co-construction of the project. Such user integration into the reflection process helps foster their support.
At the Villa Arson, securing this support is crucial, as is enabling the possibility of collective consultation. Just like additional surveys—whose necessity only becomes apparent during the study—this workshop provided the opportunity to initiate the process of identifying needs within the framework of the heritage assessment, so that its conclusions could be incorporated into the masterplan and thereby give greater meaning to future interventions.
*le troisième pôle
In 2023, dd.a was commissioned to carry out the heritage assessment and masterplan for the Villa Arson. For the agency’s 38th workshop, Caroline Couraud, Managing Director of le troisième pôle, a cultural engineering agency, spoke about the benefits of integrating her practice into the masterplan process. dd.a and le troisième pôle have had opportunities to work together, notably on the Kepler project in Nice and, at various stages, on the project to create the Animation Cinema City in Annecy. Beyond their respective areas of expertise, they share common aspirations, particularly regarding the need to demolish and build as little as possible and, consequently, to make the most of what (and who!) is already there.
At the moment when, within dd.a, the development of the Villa Arson masterplan was beginning to take shape, it also became clear that the process risked missing the opportunity not only to repair but also—above all—to improve what already exists. How? By bringing out the needs of those who are already there. Le troisième pôle has built up experience and the ability to identify needs—most often upstream of design projects—by engaging with the individuals present or expected to arrive. Its work begins by informing them about the ongoing reflection, then by interviewing (individually or collectively, during organised or spontaneous conversations) at least one representative of each type of user (in this case, students, teachers, management, staff, neighbours, etc.) before organising a co-construction of the project. Such user integration into the reflection process helps foster their support.
At the Villa Arson, securing this support is crucial, as is enabling the possibility of collective consultation. Just like additional surveys—whose necessity only becomes apparent during the study—this workshop provided the opportunity to initiate the process of identifying needs within the framework of the heritage assessment, so that its conclusions could be incorporated into the masterplan and thereby give greater meaning to future interventions.
*le troisième pôle
