AW² is an international architecture and design studio based in Paris.
Reda Amalou graduated from the University of East London and founded the agency in 1997. Stéphanie Ledoux, a graduate from the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris, joined AW² in 2000 and became a partner in 2003. The two partners have led the studio in tandem ever since and play an active role in the architectural design of each project.
With projects in 40 different countries, the agency has an international reputation for quality high-end design.
The studio covers all project typologies including hospitality, education, commercial and residential.
AW² has received several awards over the years including the MIPIM Best Hotel Award
for the Six Senses Con Dao resort, the Build Architecture Award for Best International Architecture & Design Studio – Paris, and four nominations for the AFEX Grand Prize in French Overseas Architecture for Six Senses Con Dao in Vietnam, the Lycée Français in Amman, Jordan, Ani Private Resort & Art Academy in Sri Lanka and Kasiiya Papagayo eco-lodge in Costa Rica.
Approach
Initiating a project at AW² is all about questioning. It is about defining the conditions that surround the project and about setting, with our client, the ambitions of the project. We challenge both conditions and ambitions at the early stages of our work in order to avoid preconceptions and give us a deeper understanding of what we are trying to achieve.Our approach to design is more an open working process rather than a strict theoretical or stylistic framework by which we abide. We bring to the table the experience we have gained from working in 40 different countries, applying relevant techniques and solutions. Our architecture is tailored to its location. It is an architecture of fusion that is the product of a conversation, a dialogue between several parameters:
1. Understanding the site: what sets it apart, what makes it unique
2. Analysing the context: The climate, culture, programme, regulations, economics, construction techniques, local know-how, materials and traditions
3. Incorporating local materials and prioritizing a sustainable design approach
4. Finally, architecture is a response: throughout the design process we elaborate and define our vision of the project to create architecture that truly belongs in its site.
This process allows the agency to approach every subject with an open mind.
We formulate the project as it develops rather than starting by describing the outcome. Each of our projects is a testament to this design approach.