Urban experiences, Human experiences

What is that I need ? What is that I want ?

Going back to the basics and looking for the answers to those two simple questions are what we could call "new pragmatism". As buildings influence people's behavior and shape our cities, architecture is a responsible player in its manipulation of the physical environment.

Coldefy & Associates’ project MO-SN was selected among the finalists for Reinventer la Seine on the site Place Mazas. 
The project proposes a new silhouette along the river, and new cultural icon in the Parisian landscape: the 1st immersive theater in France.
The architecture creates a traversable public space, a bridge creating two plazas, inviting people to experience the Seine.

Following the international jury presentation and deliberation this June in Beijing, CAAU & Atelier FCJZ have been selected winners of the competition for the new Fondation de Chine at the Cite Universitaire in Paris. The project houses 300 rooms and features common spaces around a green courtyard and hanging gardens, opening to the park and encouraging social exchange. The three other competition finalists were BIAD/AREP, Chen Haoru/Hubert et Roy, and l’Atelier Deshaus/Jacques Ferrier.

As a part of the European Sustainable Energy Week in Brussels, Thomas Coldefy will speak at “Energy Days” for the workshop: Architecture, towards a change in building performance. The projects Lucie Aubrac secondary school and Arboretum mixed-use in Euralille will be presented as part of the projects representing sustainable architecture. 

Coldefy & Associates, associated with French offices A.S. Architecture-Studio, Beckmann N’Thepé Architectes, and Hardel + Le Bihan, and alongside the Burkinabe office Arcade Architecture, will build the new city just outside of  Ouagadougou, the nation’s capital.  The design is distinguished by its subtle and thoughtful response to the geographic, ecologic, and cultural context, creating a model for future African cities.

Our HKDI is part of the 100 best designs of these last 10 years to be presented in an exclusive exhibition in PMQ, Hong Kong, until March 5th. 

In association with ECADI, our proposal "Living Canvas" has been selected competition winner for a new museum complex in Bao'an, district in the west of Shenzhen, China.

Novaxia properties and Bagnolet's Mayor Mr. Tony Di Martino have chosen Coldefy & Associates’ design for an ambitious new commercial project near Porte de Bagnolet in Paris, at the edge of the periphery highway.

Selected among four other international teams, Coldefy & Associates’ team with Sou Fujimoto will compete in the architectural contest for the new Courthouse of Lille.

The competition, launched by APIJ, will regroup multiple existing judicial programs, creating a new landmark and foundation for the development of the Vieux Lille neighborhood.

Coldefy & Associés is part of a few architecture firms shortlisted by the Graduate School of Artistic Vocations (ESMA) to design its new campus in Montpellier. 

IDEC group has commissioned Coldefy & Associates to design a mixed use park in Wissous, near Paris’ Orly airport. Based on planted green corridors designed by BASE landscape, it will include hotels, offices, shops, data center and a parking structure. 

CAAU has moved its new studio into PMQ. Located in Soho, this revitalized former police dormitory hosts a modern creative hub with architects & designers studios, shops, restaurants and spaces for pop-up exhibitions.

On May 27th, Thomas Coldefy and Isabel Van Haute will take part in the first Hortus Talk, an official event of the Venice Biennale of Architecture, held at Bauer Hotel. Hortus Venezia is a project that aims to repurpose abandoned greens spaces in Venice through architecture, art and design.

One year after its first outing in Hong Kong, the exhibition “Sèvres, Porcelain of the Kings”, designed by CAAU, is presented in Xian in May 2016. 

CAAU has been selected among three teams for the design of a new mixed-use complex in an eco-district in Rouen, France. At the heart of the metropolitan area, the Luciline-Rives de Seine district is one of three major urban projects that will increase the availability of modern housing as well as innovative businesses and sustainable amenities for the residents of Rouen and Petit-Quevilly. 

The Europe Shopping Gallery now seems brand new ! CAAU's intervention offers a softer integration by facilitating connections into public space. 

Coldefy & Associates has been named winner of the competition for the construction of a new intergenerational residence in Amiens. The residence is made up of a mix of units designed for elderly citizens, families, young professionals and students. The winning design is organized around a communal garden in order to maximize interactions.  

Organized by Pierre Dumonteil, together with the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres and UMAG, the exhibition invites visitors to discover the extraordinary quality of the porcelain production at this world-famous manufactory as well as the sophistication of its traditional craftsmanship. A major exhibition of Le French May 2015, it will be on display from June 10 to August 16, 2015.

Two of CAAU’s projects were selected among the finalists of the ArchiDesignClub Awards 2015: L’Arboretum in Euralille, in the category Logements-Programme mixte (mixed use housing), and Collège Lucie Aubrac in Tourcoing, in the category Enseignement-Primaire et secondaire (Primary and secondary education).

After an academic lecture this past Fall, Thomas Coldefy has been appointed Guest Professor at the Jilin Institute of Architecture and Civil Engineering for his achievements in the field of art and design. Jilin Jianzhu University is located in Changchun, China, in the Jilin Provence.  

At the 2014 AIA International Region Inaugural Design Awards held in November at the American Club in Hong Kong, CAAU’s Hong Kong Design Institute was selected to receive an Honor Award in the Open International category.  

Weekly news magazine L'Express selected Thomas Coldefy among top French creative leaders. Full article here

This fall Thomas Coldefy gave a lecture as a part of the “Future France” lecture series in Prague. The event is put together by the French Institute in Prague in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture CTU and took place on October 30th. 

The Campus of Hong Kong Design Institute won the Best-of-all-projects Quality Excellence Award and Grand Award in the Non-residential category at Quality Building Award (QBA) 2014. This year’s event, under the theme “Collaboration for Quality,” received overwhelming participation. After 18 months of planning, assessing and judging, HKDI was selected as the QBA 2014 Grand Award Winner. 

Coldefy & Associates have been announced first prize winners in the competition for a new Painting Museum in Etaples, France, on the Opale Coast.  The competition was completed in March 2014 and represents a major element in the plan for a future renewal of the port area.  The design phase is currently underway.  

Our community involvement is expanding with another invitation for Thomas Coldefy to speak at the 2014 Chinachem Sustainable Development Conference this Fall. More information will be available via major media outlets later this summer. 

Now available online is Isabel Van Haute’s lecture from this year’s Business of Design Week in Hong Kong under the thematic “Belgian Spirit.”  The conference took place in December 2013 where Isabel presented the studio’s approach as well as some major projects built and conceptual projects.

The video can be seen at http://youtu.be/pAR3TjxhNmY

The mixed use project “the Arboretum” has been officially inaugurated in Lille November 4th, 2013. The project is located in the development area ZAC Porte de Valenciennes. The project represents the functional mix desired by the city to animate the transformation of the neighborhood in an extension of the dynamic of Euralille 1 and 2 towards the south.

Coldefy & Associates are pleased to be awarded first prize in a competition for the construction of a new Mosque in Amiens, France. The competition was completed in July 2013 and is currently being developed.

Thomas Coldefy has been invited to serve as one of the jury members for the Grand Prix AFEX 2014. The prize is given every two years and celebrates a project by a French architect realized abroad. CAAU was among the finalists in 2012 with the Hong Kong Design Institute. 

CAAU is pleased to be a part of the Grand Prix AFEX 2012 exhibition at the “Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine” in Paris, France.  The inauguration event will take place Wednesday April 3rd 2013 at 6:00pm, and the exhibition will be on display until Friday, May 3rd 2013. 

Thomas Coldefy has been invited to speak as a part of the IDEA conference for interior design and eco architecture.  The two day event will be held in Prague June 10-11, 2013. More information is available on the event website: http://idea.intlbc.com/

Thomas Coldefy and Isabel Van Haute will give a lecture on the work of CAAU at the Hong Kong Design Institute as part of the school’s Public Lectures in Architectural Design. 

Coldefy and Associates is pleased receive the ‘Terra Cotta Prize’ for their recently delivered project in Lille-Hellemmes, France.

Coldefy and Associates has been announced first-prize competition winner for a collection of buildings, residential buildings including some retail, in Mons-en-Baroeul, France. 

Coldefy and Associates is pleased to be informed that the Hong Kong Design Institute has been awarded a palmarès for the Grand Prix AFEX and will included in their publication as well as on display at the Venice Biennial. 

Coldefy and Associates is pleased to be informed that the Hong Kong Design Institute has been awarded the Merit Award for by the Hong Kong Green Building Council. 

Coldefy and Associates is pleased to display their work as part of the event Le French May in Hong Kong in the exhibit titled INSIDE / OUT.