SAAP Architecture
A situated, pragmatic, and open architecture
SAAP is an independent architecture practice founded in 2023 by Aodren Antien and Géraud Pizon — two architects with complementary and rigorous paths, united by a shared vision of architecture: contextual, structured, and conceived as a living system of adaptation and projection.
The office specializes in transforming existing buildings, heritage repurposing, and complex restructuring on constrained sites. At the same time, it develops forward-looking projects designed to address emerging challenges related to uses, resources, and upcoming transitions.
Our method combines sensitivity and engineering, simplicity and clarity — with an active architectural approach that is rooted in reality while looking toward the future.
This diversity has allowed us to develop strong adaptability and a robust technical and creative know-how, across projects ranging from the small to the very large scale.
A continuous thread between construction, transformation, and projection
Our work revolves around two constantly interacting fields:
– On one hand, rehabilitation, restructuring, and gentle densification — which require a deep understanding of context, a precise reading of existing structures, and a strategic economy of intervention focused on durability, reversibility, and use.
– On the other hand, experimental or forward-looking projects — often developed through competitions or internal research — that allow us to explore new scales, typologies, and architectural narratives, while always remaining grounded in physical, constructive, and human constraints.
These two fields are not in opposition: they form a coherent continuum, where each project — reactive or prospective — is seen as an informed transformation rather than an isolated invention.
Notre objectif : concilier l’intelligence de l’existant avec la capacité à fabriquer de nouveaux possibles.
A rigorous and transversal architectural method
Our approach is built on a set of consistent principles that apply across all scales of a project:
-Observe, understand, situate
Each intervention begins with a careful reading of the site, the program, flows, and available resources.
- Build precisely
Favor long-lasting materials, proven techniques, and legible assemblies. Avoid superficiality, embrace constraints.
- Organize clearly
Structure access, manage transitions, and anticipate future uses. Keep things simple, durable, and reversible.
- Coordinate efficiently
Work actively with clients, consultants, users, and contractors — within a shared project framework.
This method is rooted in a demanding construction culture, shaped by precise detailing, resource efficiency, and a constant focus on site, use, and materiality.
It combines formal sobriety, programmatic efficiency, and thoughtful innovation — favoring constructive intelligence over aesthetic effect.
A physical and constructive ecology
Our understanding of ecology is neither symbolic nor ideological. It is rooted in a material, energetic, and temporal reading of the project.
Rather than chasing spectacular solutions or performance promises disconnected from reality, we favor a sober, verifiable, and replicable approach based on:
-la maîtrise des flux (énergie, matière, transport),
-la durée de vie des matériaux,
-la réduction des surfaces inutiles ou redondantes,
-la préférence pour les circuits courts, les systèmes passifs et les ressources localisées.
Our design choices are guided by a transversal vision of sustainable design — one that acknowledges the physical limits of life and the planet, without militant overtones or exclusionary language.
An international outlook grounded in real-world engineering
SAAP is developing an international outlook, driven by the founders’ prior experiences in diverse technical contexts — across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia — and by a pragmatic approach to architecture.
This ambition is grounded in a core belief: effective responses to global challenges do not come from standardized models, but from adaptable, restrained, and controlled solutions — those that integrate construction, use, and sustainability.
Our practice follows a logic of applied engineering — attentive to available resources, reproducible systems, and long-term, verifiable performance.
The SAAP logo, based on a repeating pixel module, reflects our approach: a rational, modular, and controlled architecture — conceived as an evolving system rather than a fixed object.
Our ambition: to build with precision, transform with purpose, and anticipate with clarity.
For any project, collaboration, or inquiry,
you can reach us at contact@saap-architecture.fr
nous sommes joignables à contact@saap-architecture.fr
