In 1975, world-famous
architect, urban designer, designer, and member of the French Academy
of Fine Arts JeanMichel Wilmotte founded the architecture firm
Wilmotte &
Associés.
Today, the practice has offices in Paris, Nice, London, Milan,
Venice, and Seoul and operates internationally. Together with design
studio Wilmotte
& Industries,
the group comprises 220 professionals – architects, urban
designers, designers, museum designers, and interior designers –
from 26 countries.
For 50 years, Wilmotte and his team have worked
on projects around the world, making people, culture, and local
history the cornerstone of every project. The firm’s approach
combines innovation and responsibility with a keen focus on
materials, light, finishes, and the relationship with the landscape –
always with respect for the historical and environmental contexts.
Although the firm shows a marked preference for
museums and cultural spaces, reclamation, and adaptive reuse
projects, Wilmotte has gradually extended the studio’s activities
to largescale projects. Today, it has completed over 100 projects in
30 countries and is a benchmark in the luxury, culture, hospitality,
and services sectors.
Among its best known projects are Le
Grand Palais Éphémère, the Sciences
Po campus, the world’s largest startup campus Station
F, and the Lutetia hotel, all in Paris,
and L’Oréal’s headquarters in Clichy. Others include Allianz
Riviera in Nice, the Daejeon Cultural Center in South Korea,
Unilever’s headquarters in RueilMalmaison, the Metz convention
center, the London offices of Google and JCDecaux, the Ferrari
Sports Management Center in Maranello,
the São Paulo congress and exhibition center in Brazil, a
residential tower in Dallas, and United
Nations House in Diamniadio, Senegal.
Current projects include the redevelopment of
Gare d’Austerlitz
in Paris, the new ParisSaintGermain sports center in Poissy, the
ArcelorMittal headquarters in Luxembourg, the Silk
Road Museum in Samarkand, and the
Center of Islamic Civilization in
Tashkent.
The studio has distinguished itself in museum
design, delivering projects for major institutions such as the Grand
Louvre and Musée
d’Orsay in Paris, and the Museum
of Islamic Art in Doha. Its design of
the Rijksmuseum
in Amsterdam was awarded Best European
Museum in 2015.
JeanMichel Wilmotte describes himself as both
a custodian of heritage and an innovator who looks to the future.
This translates into elegant, generous architecture that can
transform and enhance its location. His architectural vision has been
shared with new generations through the Wilmotte
Foundation, established in 2005, and
the W Prize,
an international competition dedicated to the contemporary reuse of
historic buildings.
