description
2a+u's April issue features Bruther, a Paris-based architectural studio established by Stéphanie Bru and Alexandre Theriot in 2007. Describing architecture as a "combat sport," the duo rose to international prominence with the completion in 2014 of Cultural and Sports Center in the Saint Blaise neighborhood of Paris. Rooted in the cultural geography of France, the project displays a nuanced mediation of urbanity, structure, and program that is informed by cosmopolitan currents and the architects' belief in the malleability of buildings. Twenty-nine projects, ranging from collective housing and cultural and educational institutions to pavilions and exhibitions, are presented here to convey the full extent of Bruther's work. While many of the projects are unbuilt or small-scale, temporary studies or installations, Bruther's use of highly realistic and detailed visualizations and models in their design process have ironically allowed for an intense scrutiny of equipment and skin, as they "turn the hidden into a compositional element" in the ever-shifting pursuit of human comfort. Text in English and Japanese.