House of Jazz

Laurent Gravier founded FRES architectes in Paris in 2004 together with Sara Martín Cámara. The studios are currently based in Paris (FR) and in Geneva (CH). In 2009, FRES architects won the international open architecture competition for the construction of the Nouvelle Comédie de Genève Theater, which has been completed in 2021. FRES architectes often participate to international open competitions, for which the practice received several prizes : In 2003, Laurent Gravier and Sara Martin Camara won the European open Competition EUROPAN 7 in the outskirts of Paris. In 2008, the office was distinguished 2nd Prize for the international open competition for the construction of the Psychology Faculty in Malaga, Spain. In 2019, FRES architectes received a 2nd Prize for the international open competition for the construction of the National Concert Hall of Lithuania, in Vilnius. For his work, Laurent Gravier received in 2014 the 40 under 40 European Prize for Emerging Young European Architects. His first realized work for 23 semi-collective social dwellings in Béthune (France) completed in 2012 received several prizes, among them Nomination for Equerre d'Argent 2012 - Best First Realized Project, Special Mention for Fritz Höger Prize 2017. The building for 9 social dwellings at Avenue Netter in Paris received several prizes, among them Trophées Béton Pro 2019 and Trophées de la Construction 2019. The Nouvelle Comédie Theater in Geneva was distinguished by the AFEX Prize in 2021.

Paul Laurendeau is an award-winning architecture studio established in Montreal since 1995. He is interested in creative work of all scale with clients that seek a personal vision. In 2003, he was awarded a Prize of Excellence from the Order of Architects of Quebec for the conversion of an early modern car showroom to house a design agency. In 2005, he received the Prize of Excellence for the design of an artistic event in a decommissioned incinerator. In 2005, he won his first competition to design a 500-seat theatre in Northern Quebec, reinterpreting the 19th century theatre typology in a contemporary language. In 2011, he won the competition for the design of the Cogeco Amphitheatre in Trois-Rivières, Québec, a monumental 9000-seat 40 M$ cultural summer venue, for which he received in 2016 the Governor General’s Medal in Architecture of Canada. In 2018, he was finalist for the Repentigny Theatre competition and the Agora des arts. He is currently working on a black box theatre in Sherbrooke, Quebec and an Aquatic Complex in Montreal.

Dr Piers Taylor is a renowned architect and academic. He founded the award-winning architects Invisible Studio Taylor studied originally in Australia with Pritzker Prize winner Glenn Murcutt and also at London's Architectural Association. He has designed a large number of seminal buildings and is the recipient of numerous awards for his work, which has been published widely and internationally. He lives in a prototypical self built award winning house and manages a 100 acre woodland as a research resource for the practice. He is also a PhD scholar, and his research examines the consequences of designing through making and making as empowerment. Taylor is also one of the leading architectural broadcasters for the BBC, having presented 3 series of ‘The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes’ and 5 series of the ‘House that £100k Built’. He has also presented numerous other shows for the BBC including documentaries about the Great Fire of London, British Inventors, Lateral Thinking, and is now working on a number of new formats.. Taylor has held a number of academic positions including Unit Master at the Architectural Association & The University of Cambridge and has delivered numerous lectures nationally and internationally. His work has been published in multiple journals and featured in a number of independent documentaries including Practice - episode 1 of which was devoted to Invisible Studio..