Build Architecture Awards

Build Architecture Awards 2015 32 ACS is a company employing 5 architects with a rep- utation for quality design spanning over 30 years. Our office is located in the centre of Nantes, a young dy- namic city on the west coast of France. Our clients are largely public sector and we offer a wide range of de- sign solutions for clients all over the west of France. We specialise in the health and educational sectors, how- ever we have extensive experience in other areas too. Our project portfolio includes education, health, justice, commercial, administration, culture and housing. We put the well being of those who are going to live or work in our buildings at the heart of the design process. Inventive use of materials, a sympathetic exploitation of space and light and the quest to create something unique are the hallmarks of our architectural solutions. Our bi-lingual structure (French and English) helps distinguish us from our competitors. Our expertise in medical imagery, CT scan- ning for example, enables our clients in the medical sector to make informed choices. Renovation projects and sustainable archi- tecture are our particular areas of expertise. Whilst we are not explicitly ‘green architects’, we incorporate energy efficient choices into all of our projects. Our versatility enables us to take on both complex and unusual projects; indeed we seek them out, always keen to identify intriguing opportunities. Nantes is the largest city in the region of the Pays de la Loire, and its proximity to the sea and Saint Nazaire makes the region a particu- larly dynamic one. The construction industry is under mounting pressure to build more effi- ciently and consider the impact on the planet at all stages of the design and build process. In this respect, Nantes has been a pioneer. It was the first city in France to bring back the tram as a solution to congestion and environmen- tally damaging public and private transport. The combustion of local waste generates the required energy for a self-sufficient system. ACS is extremely proud to have won the ‘Best for Public Sector Renovation Projects’ award. Such recognition within the building industry is very gratifying and I believe our success is born out of the quantity and quality of renovation projects that ACS has undertaken in recent years. The challenge now is to retain our hard fought position in the industry, some- thing that can never be taken for granted. As we look ahead to the future, the renovation of architecturally or civically important buildings is an absolute necessity. Today, it is socially and economically inconceivable to demolish vast tracts of our architectural land- scape, a product of generations of heritage and creative vision, in pursuit of perceived modernity. Of course there is a place for the new, but we must also work together to improve existing structures; we need to increase the density of our cities, reduce energy wastage, and at the same time make our urban spaces more enjoyable places to live, work and prosper. At ACS these are the values and design principals we strive for and we hope to contribute to the evolution of our cities for many decades to come. Best for Public Sector Renovation Projects Architectrues Chabenès & Scott Company: Architectures Chabenès & Scott Name: Angus Scott Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.architectures-cs.fr Address: 29 Rue de Chateaubriand, 44000 Nantes Telephone: 02 40 20 25 00