FREAKS architects is a Paris-based architecture and design studio founded in 2007 by three architects, Guillaume Aubry, Cyril Gauthier, and Yves Pasquet. The studio is known for its experience and playful design approach, incorporating traditional and modern materials and techniques. They work on various projects, including residence, commercial, cultural, and hospitality, and have received numerous awards for their innovative designs. They are known for creating a unique and customised solution for each project.
Meca: Bordeaux’s monumental cultural gateway
It is located between the river Garonne and saint – Jean train station in France. It brings three regional agencies together FRAC for contemporary art, ALCA for cinema, literature, audiovisuals, and OARA for performing arts. Conceived as a loop and inspired by the form of a prismatic arch. The building core has 1100 square meters of the public plaza, accessed by a series of steps and a ramp. Below the public plaza, MECA’s lobby on the ground floor is centred on a spiral pit that functions as a launch. On the same floor, it has OARA’s 250-seat theatre. FRAC’s 7 meters high exhibition space on the top floor of the building, along with a production studio for artists, storage facilities, an auditorium with 90 seats, and a café.
Meisenthal Glass Site
It is a publicly active cultural centre in a historic glass factory dating back to the 18th century, hidden in the bucolic landscape of Northern Vosges Natural Park. There are three independent interrelated instructions the glass museum – a living memory tracing the history of the glass at the site; the CIAV – an international glass art centre where traditional craftsmanship meets contemporary practices and the cadhame – a multidisciplinary cultural space hosting art installation, happenings and concerts are sited at varying floor levels. The existing building functions are reimaged and extended: the unused basement floor given a new entrance and a 500-seat black box theatre that can be reconfigured as a standing room for 700 or opened into a concrete hall for 3000.
Reserves in Romainville
This is the third exhibition space in Romainville for the regional collection of contemporary art. Reserves have been designed to serve as a storage and exhibition centre for the France collection. The project by the FREAKS freearchitects, this new three-story building is a welcome addition to contemporary art. On the rehabilitated industrial site, its neighbours include an artist’s residence, a fashion and design school, and the galleries united under the komunuma banner. Frac has enough space to represent the diversity of contemporary art collections built up since the 1980s – nearly 2000 works. They make a storage hierarchy based on the different formats of works with different platform heights, respectively, three, four, and five meters.
Zoological Museum of Strasbourg
In partnership with the agencies dUCKS SCENO and FREAKS freearchitects. The museography journey begins at the entrance of the building with the crossing of biodiversity. This space is presented as a high volume in which multiple species are presented to express the richness of the different ecosystems. In the exhibition spaces, rails have been integrated between the ceiling blades to accommodate wall washers, cameramen, and spotlights. These devices light the majority of graphic elements. Using the devices on magnetic rails also allows the museum flexibility in using its various showcases.
SAMMODE Research & Development centre
It is a research and development centre completing the marketing and sales offices located in Paris and the manufacturing division in the Vosges. FREAKS freearchitects was commissioned to design the rehabilitation projects to meet the technical requirements of a research and development centre. In the building, they distributed the interior into four boxes built in wood structures covered with spruce. In these closed boxes, which are sometimes completely airtight and light–proof and numerous tests of the resistance of the luminaries are carried out. The whole building is covered with a double skin of corrugated stainless steel sheets.
Les Halles
It is a major urban redevelopment project in Paris, France, designed by FREAKS freearchitects. The project is located in the city’s heart and connects the surrounding streets and neighbourhoods with the large underground shopping mall. The project was initiated in 2010 and involved the demolition of the previous shopping centre. The centrepiece of the new Les Halles is a large canopy structure that covers the entire site, providing shelter from the elements and creating a landmark. Many other amenities include a large plaza, a garden, a skating rink, and a cultural centre.
The house of Hungarian Music
It is a music museum located in Budapest, Hungary. It was designed by FREAKS freearchitects and completed in 2021. The building aims to create a harmonious relationship between the built environment and nature, and the surrounding landscape inspires the design. The museum’s interior is organised around a central atrium that serves as a gathering space and provides natural light to the various exhibition areas. The exhibition space is designed to be flexible and adaptable to different types of musical events and exhibitions.
Two Workshop Studios
It is traditionally formed of a row of residential houses on one side facing a row of studios on the other, designed by FREAKS freearchitects. To the specific request – two related but separate workshops space, lots of natural light, high ceilings in addition to an outdoor terrace, and two 22 square meter rooms strictly symmetrical, connected from inside and wrapping an outdoor staircase. The materials are humble and adapted to the construction process of the projects. The whole building is painted white.
Casa Ojala
It is an innovative project designed by the architecture firm FREAKS freearchitecture that seeks to reimage the traditional concepts of a home. The project is located in Italy and was completed in 2020. The central idea is to create a modular living space adaptable to the inhabitants’ changing needs and desires. The house is designed to be extremely compact and efficient, with a total area of just 27 square meters. The unique feature is its mechanical system, which transforms the house into multiple configurations.
Batignolles Cemetery
It is a project by FREAKS freearchitects that involved renovating and revitalising a historic cemetery in Paris. The cemetery was originally established in the mid-19th century. The projects involved restoration and adding new features to enhance the visitor experience. One of the most notable features of the renovated cemetery is a new entrance pavilion, which serves as a gateway to the site and provides information about the cemetery’s history.
FREAKS freearchitects design firm known for producing innovative and unconventional designs that challenge traditional architectural norms. With a reputation for creating distinctive and visually striking structures, the firm has completed numerous projects worldwide. Overall, their work demonstrates a unique approach to architecture and design that has earned them a place among the industry’s most innovative and creative firms.
References:
https://freaksarchitecture.com/
https://www.yatzer.com/meca-big-freaks
https://www.archdaily.com/982179/site-verrier-de-meisenthal-so-il-plus-freaks-architecture
https://parislightsup.com/2020/10/22/les-reserves-in-romainville-a-new-home-for-frac-ile-de-france/
https://www.atelierherveaudibert.com/mus%C3%A9e-zoologique-de-strasbourg
https://www.archdaily.com/929013/sammode-research-and-development-center-freaks-architecture
https://www.cntraveler.com/shops/paris/forum-des-halles
https://www.archdaily.com/975693/sou-fujimotos-house-of-music-opens-to-the-public
https://www.archdaily.com/432064/two-workshop-studios-freaks-freearchitects
https://archeyes.com/casa-ojala-beatrice-bonzanigo/
https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/paimio-sanatorium/
