Jean-Paul Hermant opened his firm in 1987 with a partner. He makes sure to stay small, to keep his ‘craftsman architect’ identity. He believes that if a project is to be successful, it is necessary for the owner to be happy; to achieve that, he believes that everyone involved in the act of building needs to achieve consistent quality.
Jean-Paul Hermant
Jean-Paul Hermant Architectes
jeanpaulhermant.be
info@jeanpaulhermant.be
Technical sheet of this architecture video clip
Journalist : Emma C. Dessouroux
Cameraman : Emanuel Pinto / EpiProd
Photographies : Mister Emma
Editing : Emma C. Dessouroux / Cristina Dias
Direction : Emma C. Dessouroux
Production : Les Délires Productions
Translation : Comtrans
Subtitles : Les Délires Productions
English Subtitles
1
00:00:12,960 –> 00:00:15,960
It was in ’87, ’86-87,
2
00:00:16,040 –> 00:00:18,800
that I opened my first office
with a partner.
3
00:00:18,880 –> 00:00:21,160
Initially, I did the first project
all by myself,
4
00:00:21,240 –> 00:00:24,200
and the second also, after I returned,
so it started small.
5
00:00:24,960 –> 00:00:28,640
And then it grew nicely.
6
00:00:29,160 –> 00:00:31,600
Always with a…
7
00:00:32,360 –> 00:00:34,720
a desire not to grow too much,
8
00:00:34,800 –> 00:00:37,360
to stay as a small team.
9
00:00:44,480 –> 00:00:47,120
Very good, at least
there’s no wood element
10
00:00:47,200 –> 00:00:48,840
passing from between them.
11
00:00:48,920 –> 00:00:49,960
How will you do…
12
00:00:50,120 –> 00:00:52,080
-That’s it.
-Just that?
13
00:00:52,160 –> 00:00:53,640
Oh OK.
14
00:00:53,720 –> 00:00:56,520
We would rather consider
15
00:00:56,600 –> 00:00:58,840
ourselves as architecture craftsmen,
16
00:00:58,920 –> 00:01:01,600
rather than the artists
we sometimes try to be.
17
00:01:01,680 –> 00:01:04,560
So you need a developed artistic side,
18
00:01:04,640 –> 00:01:07,560
that’s for sure, to have a sensitivity.
19
00:01:07,640 –> 00:01:10,680
But I think we work for people
20
00:01:10,760 –> 00:01:13,080
and with people’s money,
21
00:01:13,160 –> 00:01:15,960
so we can’t say that
we are really artists.
22
00:01:16,040 –> 00:01:19,000
So the word craftsman is good enough.
23
00:01:19,080 –> 00:01:21,560
If that’s the case,
it will change the system.
24
00:01:22,440 –> 00:01:25,360
I think for a project to be successful,
25
00:01:25,440 –> 00:01:27,560
the client must be happy,
26
00:01:27,640 –> 00:01:30,200
and for the client to be happy,
all participants
27
00:01:30,280 –> 00:01:33,320
in the building project must be
28
00:01:33,400 –> 00:01:35,480
of a consistent quality.
29
00:01:36,040 –> 00:01:38,320
This feature
30
00:01:39,560 –> 00:01:42,440
of architecture
comes from the fact that…
31
00:01:43,040 –> 00:01:47,360
it’s a very big budget, for everyone.
32
00:01:47,440 –> 00:01:50,240
If you are an individual and you do
33
00:01:50,640 –> 00:01:52,680
300,000 Euros worth of work,
34
00:01:53,400 –> 00:01:55,800
it’s a considerable sum.
If you are a developer
35
00:01:55,880 –> 00:01:58,040
doing 10 million Euros worth of work,
it’s a large sum.
36
00:01:58,120 –> 00:01:59,360
So always…
37
00:02:00,000 –> 00:02:03,840
in our society,
all objects that are for sale
38
00:02:03,920 –> 00:02:06,000
are prefabricated objects.
39
00:02:06,080 –> 00:02:08,360
And here, it’s tailor-made.
40
00:02:20,760 –> 00:02:23,520
The importance of a feature
41
00:02:23,920 –> 00:02:27,960
is based on the justification
42
00:02:28,040 –> 00:02:29,400
given to it.
43
00:02:29,920 –> 00:02:32,680
If we make a feature,
44
00:02:32,760 –> 00:02:35,080
because just at that moment
45
00:02:36,080 –> 00:02:38,680
we had the idea to do it,
46
00:02:38,760 –> 00:02:40,840
it will fall short.
47
00:02:41,200 –> 00:02:43,480
The important thing is,
48
00:02:43,560 –> 00:02:46,320
when you come up with an idea like this,
49
00:02:46,400 –> 00:02:48,280
to say: « It’s interesting
50
00:02:48,360 –> 00:02:52,280
because it responds aesthetically
51
00:02:52,360 –> 00:02:54,000
to the question raised.
52
00:02:54,080 –> 00:02:56,760
It responds functionally
to the question raised.
53
00:02:56,840 –> 00:02:58,880
And it fits in terms of budget. »
54
00:02:58,960 –> 00:03:03,360
And so in all aspects that involve the…
55
00:03:03,960 –> 00:03:06,440
materialization
and implementation of the feature.
56
00:03:18,640 –> 00:03:21,040
We don’t always take steps
57
00:03:22,000 –> 00:03:25,760
given to us by others.
58
00:03:27,280 –> 00:03:29,760
My father, for example,
59
00:03:30,920 –> 00:03:35,040
without me really being aware of it,
and perhaps he wasn’t either,
60
00:03:35,120 –> 00:03:39,080
allowed me very quickly
61
00:03:39,160 –> 00:03:42,600
to find my voice
62
00:03:42,920 –> 00:03:45,320
in an open way,
63
00:03:45,920 –> 00:03:48,200
because I was nine
when he built his first house.
64
00:03:50,360 –> 00:03:54,320
It was a bit the same with music,
by inviting me to the great hall
65
00:03:54,400 –> 00:03:56,640
in the Palace of Fine Arts to listen to
66
00:03:56,960 –> 00:03:58,640
a number of concertos.
67
00:03:58,720 –> 00:04:01,520
And it was only very recently that
68
00:04:01,600 –> 00:04:04,400
I realized the importance,
ultimately, that it had
69
00:04:04,480 –> 00:04:06,960
in building
70
00:04:07,040 –> 00:04:09,360
my passions.
71
00:04:12,560 –> 00:04:14,560
I don’t have a huge memory,
72
00:04:14,640 –> 00:04:17,560
so I spent many years
73
00:04:17,640 –> 00:04:19,560
of my life, organizing myself.
74
00:04:19,640 –> 00:04:21,360
It has only been now,
75
00:04:21,440 –> 00:04:23,840
for two, three years,
76
00:04:25,000 –> 00:04:28,400
that I found the way
to organize my own work
77
00:04:28,480 –> 00:04:30,480
very effectively.
78
00:04:31,200 –> 00:04:34,480
And so, the presence of business cards
79
00:04:34,560 –> 00:04:35,760
on my desk,
80
00:04:35,840 –> 00:04:38,920
these are the latest business cards
81
00:04:39,760 –> 00:04:43,600
of people I have met
and that I have to recontact
82
00:04:43,680 –> 00:04:48,680
when the time comes
or with whom I still have some…
83
00:04:48,760 –> 00:04:50,720
some discussions to have.
84
00:04:50,800 –> 00:04:54,080
And to keep them fresh in my memory,
85
00:04:54,160 –> 00:04:55,760
I leave them,
86
00:04:55,840 –> 00:04:59,960
as though I’m leaving a statue on my desk.
French Subtitles
1
00:00:12,960 –> 00:00:15,960
C’est en 87, 86-87,
2
00:00:16,040 –> 00:00:18,800
que j’ai ouvert mon premier bureau
avec un collaborateur.
3
00:00:18,880 –> 00:00:21,160
Au début, le premier projet
je l’ai fait tout seul d’ailleurs,
4
00:00:21,240 –> 00:00:24,200
le deuxième aussi quand je suis rentré,
c’était une petite transformation.
5
00:00:24,960 –> 00:00:28,640
Et puis ça s’est agrandi gentiment.
6
00:00:29,160 –> 00:00:31,600
Avec toujours une…
7
00:00:32,360 –> 00:00:34,720
une volonté de ne pas
trop grandir, de rester
8
00:00:34,800 –> 00:00:37,360
une petite équipe.
9
00:00:44,480 –> 00:00:47,120
Très bien, du moins
qu’il n’y ait pas d’élément de bois
10
00:00:47,200 –> 00:00:48,840
qui passe de l’un à l’autre.
11
00:00:48,920 –> 00:00:49,960
Comment tu fais pour…
12
00:00:50,120 –> 00:00:52,080
- C’est ça.
- C’est juste ça?
13
00:00:52,160 –> 00:00:53,640
Ah OK.
14
00:00:53,720 –> 00:00:56,520
On considérerait plutôt
15
00:00:56,600 –> 00:00:58,840
qu’on est des artisans de l’architecture
16
00:00:58,920 –> 00:01:01,600
plutôt que des artistes
comme on essaie parfois de nous caler.
17
00:01:01,680 –> 00:01:04,560
Alors il faut
un côté artistique développé,
18
00:01:04,640 –> 00:01:07,560
ça c’est sûr,
pour le faire avec sensibilité.
19
00:01:07,640 –> 00:01:10,680
Mais je pense que l’on travaille
pour les gens
20
00:01:10,760 –> 00:01:13,080
et avec l’argent des gens, donc
21
00:01:13,160 –> 00:01:15,960
on ne peut pas dire que l’on est
des artistes à proprement parler.
22
00:01:16,040 –> 00:01:19,000
Donc l’artisan, le mot artisan
convient assez bien.
23
00:01:19,080 –> 00:01:21,560
Donc si ça se trouve,
il va changer de système.
24
00:01:22,440 –> 00:01:25,360
Je pense que pour qu’un projet soit réussi,
25
00:01:25,440 –> 00:01:27,560
il faut que le maître
de l’ouvrage soit content
26
00:01:27,640 –> 00:01:30,200
et pour que le maître de l’ouvrage
soit content, il faut que l’ensemble
27
00:01:30,280 –> 00:01:33,320
des participants à l’acte de bâtir soit
28
00:01:33,400 –> 00:01:35,480
d’une qualité homogène.
29
00:01:36,040 –> 00:01:38,320
Cette particularité
30
00:01:39,560 –> 00:01:42,440
de l’architecture vient du fait que…
31
00:01:43,040 –> 00:01:47,360
c’est des très gros budgets,
pour tout le monde.
32
00:01:47,440 –> 00:01:50,240
Si vous êtes un particulier
et que vous faites
33
00:01:50,640 –> 00:01:52,680
300 000 euros de travaux,
34
00:01:53,400 –> 00:01:55,800
c’est une somme considérable,
si vous êtes un promoteur
35
00:01:55,880 –> 00:01:58,040
et que vous faites 10 millions de travaux,
c’est une somme considérable.
36
00:01:58,120 –> 00:01:59,360
Donc toujours…
37
00:02:00,000 –> 00:02:03,840
dans notre société,
tous les objets qui sont à vendre
38
00:02:03,920 –> 00:02:06,000
sont des objets préfabriqués.
39
00:02:06,080 –> 00:02:08,360
Et ici, c’est du sur-mesure.
40
00:02:20,760 –> 00:02:23,520
L’importance du trait
41
00:02:23,920 –> 00:02:27,960
est basée sur la justification
42
00:02:28,040 –> 00:02:29,400
qu’on lui donne.
43
00:02:29,920 –> 00:02:32,680
Si on se contente de faire un trait
44
00:02:32,760 –> 00:02:35,080
parce qu’on avait justement à ce moment-là
45
00:02:36,080 –> 00:02:38,680
le fantasme de la réaliser de cette sorte,
46
00:02:38,760 –> 00:02:40,840
ça sera un peu court.
47
00:02:41,200 –> 00:02:43,480
L’important est de parvenir
48
00:02:43,560 –> 00:02:46,320
quand on donne une idée comme cela,
49
00:02:46,400 –> 00:02:48,280
à dire : « C’est intéressant
50
00:02:48,360 –> 00:02:52,280
parce que ça répond esthétiquement
51
00:02:52,360 –> 00:02:54,000
à la question posée.
52
00:02:54,080 –> 00:02:56,760
Ça répond fonctionnellement
à la question posée.
53
00:02:56,840 –> 00:02:58,880
Ça répond budgétairement
à la question posée. »
54
00:02:58,960 –> 00:03:03,360
Et ainsi de suite sur tous les aspects
qui comportent…
55
00:03:03,960 –> 00:03:06,440
la matérialisation
et la réalisation du trait.
56
00:03:18,640 –> 00:03:21,040
On ne prend pas toujours la mesure
57
00:03:22,000 –> 00:03:25,760
de ce que l’on reçoit des autres.
58
00:03:27,280 –> 00:03:29,760
Mon père, par exemple,
59
00:03:30,920 –> 00:03:35,040
sans vraiment que j’en prenne conscience,
et sans doute peut-être lui non plus,
60
00:03:35,120 –> 00:03:39,080
m’a permis très rapidement,
61
00:03:39,160 –> 00:03:42,600
j’avais neuf ans quand il a construit
sa première maison,
62
00:03:42,920 –> 00:03:45,320
de me donner voix au chapitre
63
00:03:45,920 –> 00:03:48,200
d’une façon ouverte.
64
00:03:50,360 –> 00:03:54,320
Un peu la même chose dans la musique
en m’invitant à une grande salle
65
00:03:54,400 –> 00:03:56,640
du Palais des Beaux-Arts pour écouter
66
00:03:56,960 –> 00:03:58,640
l’un ou l’autre concerto.
67
00:03:58,720 –> 00:04:01,520
Et ce n’est que assez récemment
68
00:04:01,600 –> 00:04:04,400
que je me suis rendu compte de l’importance,
finalement, que ça avait eu
69
00:04:04,480 –> 00:04:06,960
dans la construction
70
00:04:07,040 –> 00:04:09,360
de mes passions.
71
00:04:12,560 –> 00:04:14,560
Je n’ai pas une énorme mémoire,
72
00:04:14,640 –> 00:04:17,560
donc j’ai passé beaucoup d’années,
73
00:04:17,640 –> 00:04:19,560
dans mon existence à m’organiser.
74
00:04:19,640 –> 00:04:21,360
Ce n’est que maintenant
75
00:04:21,440 –> 00:04:23,840
depuis deux, trois ans,
76
00:04:25,000 –> 00:04:28,400
que j’ai trouvé le moyen d’organiser
mon propre travail
77
00:04:28,480 –> 00:04:30,480
de façon très efficace.
78
00:04:31,200 –> 00:04:34,480
Et donc, la présence des cartes de visites
79
00:04:34,560 –> 00:04:35,760
sur mon bureau,
80
00:04:35,840 –> 00:04:38,920
ce sont les dernières cartes de visite
81
00:04:39,760 –> 00:04:43,600
de gens que j’ai rencontrés
et que je dois recontacter
82
00:04:43,680 –> 00:04:48,680
le moment venu ou avec lesquels
j’ai encore quelques…
83
00:04:48,760 –> 00:04:50,720
quelques discussions à avoir.
84
00:04:50,800 –> 00:04:54,080
Et pour les garder
dans une mémoire fraîche
85
00:04:54,160 –> 00:04:55,760
je les laisse
86
00:04:55,840 –> 00:04:59,960
comme si j’en laissais
le buste sur mon bureau.
Laisser un commentaire