Seminar ‘Maintaining. Architecture and maintenance, what we care about’
Building and maintaining in the bioclimatic era – Feedback
with Nolwenn Bordron, architect at the Department of
Public Constructions and Architecture (DCPA) of the City of Paris
From innovative building techniques to reinterpreted traditional skills, bioclimatic design and the use of organic or geosourced materials are part of a significant shift in architectural practices, attempting to overcome the limitations of strict regulations and industrial production logic. The plurality of terms—frugal, low-tech, sustainable, passive, and eco-responsible—reflects the diversity of approaches and their experimental dimension. Each approach offers a new perspective and way of doing things in a finite world.
In this seventh session, the seminar will give the floor to a public project owner, the City of Paris, to discuss the changes brought about by these design approaches from the perspective of the operator responsible for maintaining structures whose sustainability is measured in terms of planetary limits and material conditions for long-term preservation.
From attention to materials to consideration of conditions of use and adjustments to equipment, how are maintenance activities being redeployed in an architecture that seeks to protect both the environment and humans? How can maintenance workers’ expertise be accounted for when it largely escapes the normative and creative processes that punctuate design? This pivotal session examines different approaches to making building last and explores the links between architecture and maintenance through the lens of the relationship between the built environment and its surroundings.
Date: Friday, November 14, 2025, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Venue: École des Mines, 60 Boulevard Saint Michel, 75006. Room Vendôme
Participation is free but registration is required. Please register here.
Attendance is limited. Kindly let us know if you are unable to attend.
The seminar will be held in French.
Organized by architectural agency SCAU and Jérôme Denis.
Find out more about the seminar program and objectives