3 questions for . . . Cristiano Benzoni and Sophie Thuillier, co-founders of REV Architecture
Cristiano Benzoni and Sophie Thuillier, co-founders of REV Architecture
He was born in Italy, in the Lake Como region, and graduated from the Polytechnic University of Milan. She was born in France, in Paris, and graduated from the School of Architecture Paris-La Seine.Their skills were honed during 10 years working with Jean Nouvel. As project directors for the French architect they handled a range of projects including the Agbar Tower in Barcelona and the Kilometro Rosso Science and Technology Park in Bergamo Italy. In 2004 Cristiano Benzoni’s first associate office took on the first of many projects for the LVMH Group: the new Louis Vuitton flagship store on the Champs-Elysées, the Louis Vuitton Matsuya Ginza stores in Japan, the Celine concept store on Avenue Montaigne in Paris, and the TAG Heuer 360° museum in Chaux-de-Fonds. In 2007 Cristiano Benzoni and Sophie Thuillier headed in a new direction with the founding of their REV agency.
Would you tell us about the origins of your architecture career?
After spending 10 exciting years with Jean Nouvel, in 2004 I [Cristiano] co-founded an agency with Eric Carlson, an American architect. Our goal was to create spaces that gave deeper meaning to a brand’s references through a building and contributed to its identity through space. Our first project was the Louis Vuitton boutique on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The unique approach I proposed for this project was to make the brand’s culture part of the city’s culture. We designed the building to be a discovery process, an extension of the Champs-Elysées’ prestigious route. It’s a progression of sequences with the ultimate and obvious goal of never overriding the collections presented in the store. It was a huge challenge for our profession, since architecture has a rather heavy inertia while fashion moves forward with unbelievable speed. Fashion makes us dizzy; that’s why we are always trying to identify the latest trends! For each new project, for each new client, we reinvent a unique universe.
In 2007 you set up the REV agency. What direction did you want for your profession?
We wanted to get back to the architectural dimension of our work. Before starting REV, we only did retail projects, meaning our work was concentrated on brand boutiques. Today we’ve expanded our clientele to hotels, individuals, and buildings. Our Parisian agency now includes 25 people. For the retail sector, we help brands who, more than ever, want to work on and strengthen their identity. This is the real challenge of our digitally saturated era: to maintain a strong identity within boutiques while still having a digital presence. So it’s important to create urban spaces that are not just for a chosen few, but instead open to the public, warm, and as welcoming as they are original – and which make people want to come back. The human experience has never been so prevalent, nor expertise so primordial. This is the definition of tomorrow’s boutiques.
What do you think is the link between the worlds of architecture and fashion?
If fashion represents a group of objects that moves through space and goes beyond eras, then architecture is the result of a context and a space. But these two worlds are based on the same principles: desire and seduction. Both of us adore fashion. We can even say we are its first victims! So it’s not an accident if we cultivate a special tie with its world of beauty. When we look at apparel or accessories, we look closely at the materials and especially the workmanship, which is a true poetic extension of the object. You must not forget that we are, above all, artisans. And what we bring together is the achievement of human hands.