The latest architectural updates of the week

The Latest Architectural Updates of the Week: A Quick 5-Minute Review

Curious about the most recent architectural news of the week? We've got you covered with a concise overview in just 5 minutes!

Agency Lockdown during Covid: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Back on TrackHow can you navigate the new lockdown effectively? This is the question that the Order of Architects addresses by offering a comprehensive guide titled "Coronavirus and Lockdown" on its website, www.architectes.org.

Inside, there's a multitude of topics covered, approaching different thematic angles:

• Organizing agencies during lockdown
• Support for businesses
• Practical documents for construction sites
• Air quality and health

The first section of the guide outlines agency life by examining the various guidelines set by the authorities regarding travel, site visits, public reception, and telecommuting. For instance, it's revealed that Article 4 of Decree No. 2020_1310 from October 29th, restricting travel permissions to those "for professional purposes" confines architects and their employees to professional activities (such as site visits or inspections).

Exploring Various Topics: Welcoming the Public and Supporting Architectural Agencies During Lockdown

Another topic addressed is the reception of the public within architectural agencies. Considered as establishments receiving the public, agencies are not subject to closure measures. Nevertheless, visits must be strictly professional in nature when they cannot be conducted remotely. Regarding site visits and inspections, a professional purpose remains a prerequisite for authorizing travel. Thus, promoters, lessors, and professional project owners are permitted to visit construction sites when their presence is deemed necessary. In the case of individual project owners who lack a professional reason for travel, Minister Delegate for Housing Emmanuelle Wargon clarified during a press conference on November 2nd that "only milestone visits, which determine a payment, or end-of-project visits, which determine payment and project delivery, are permissible."

The section titled "Support for Businesses" delves into various sustained or extended assistance mechanisms. This includes the partial activity scheme, which offers state support of 70% of employee wages in cases where a decrease is attributed to reduced work hours or temporary business closure. Other maintained aids include the deferral of URSSAF charges for November and the solidarity fund for architects and architectural firms. A comprehensive list of measures can be found on the website www.architectes.org.

What to read during covid lockdown ?

The lockdown, despite the slew of unfavorable news and gloomy prospects it brings along, also presents an opportunity: that of rediscovering personal time, in the absence of spending it with others. For all those who cherish reading and architecture, the website tema.archi offers the perfect fusion: a selection of books on architecture, allowing you to "immerse yourself in the history of an iconic building, from its construction to its completion, journey through time and space, or contemplate the architecture of the world to come through nine readings to devour in the coming weeks," as stated on their website.

As for the selection on offer, there's something for every taste, from "Voyage à Chandigarh" by Manuel Bougot, which immerses readers 60 years later in the city entirely conceived by Le Corbusier, to "Orly, Aéroport des sixties," which delves into the history of the Francilian airport born from the work of Henri Vicariot. The list includes works that provoke thought, like "Les architectes au défi de la ville néolibérale" by Véronique Blau, which raises the question: what becomes of architects and architecture in a world where city planning revolves around large client organizations and powerful enterprises spanning the full spectrum of economic activities in development, urban services, real estate management, and construction? The list and references of the 9 suggested works can be found on the tema.archi website by following this link.

Équerre d'Argent : who's next after Charles-Henri Tachon?

The end of the year hosts a ceremony that captures the architectural world's attention: the Équerre d'Argent awards. Despite the peculiarities of the year 2020, it rightfully boasts its own roster revealed by a jury assembled from the editorial teams of the architecture magazine AMC and the online information site lemoniteur.fr. Adhering to tradition, the 2020 edition will designate 5 laureates spread across 5 categories, from which the Équerre d'Argent 2020 will be selected. In a schedule disrupted by the global pandemic, the submission deadline was extended until September 18th, without affecting the ceremony's scheduled date on Monday, November 23rd. This edition already promises uniqueness, as the conventional ceremony and cocktail event with guests have been replaced by a 100% digital format, necessitated by the lockdown, accessible via a link. The nominees in the various categories can be found on the website amc-archi.com, by following this link.