“Architecture is necessary, political and provides solutions”

Paris Match. For you, architecture is as much a political duty as an art of living together. For what? Christophe Millet, President of the National Council of the Order of Architects. In architecture schools, we learn that the moment a human being stacks one pebble on top of another, he is creating architecture. Because the latter structures the living environment, even through small gestures such as building a fence, planting a tree, destroying a building or building an ecological district. She participates in the organization of “life in society”. This is also the role of politics. So yes, our profession as architect responds to a political necessity. “The unknown of the Grande Arche” reminds us of this with talent.

To what extent does the film go behind the scenes of this creation between artists and decision-makers?
In this book and this film, there is poetry, genius, technical mastery, politics and economics. It is a beautiful illustration of the profession of architect, of the tension between the commission and the translation of the project on the ground. It is the balance of the idealistic will of the statesman, Mitterrand, facing the intransigence of the architect, von Spreckelsen, the moderating role of the other architect, Paul Andreu, and the character of Subilon, advisor to the president. Everyone contributes their stone to this building. It is this balance that produces the result. Sometimes, politicians seek to appropriate the role of the architect to write about “living together” when, conversely, the architect translates a political conviction into his project. It is when these two ambitions intersect that projects are successful. François Hollande told me a few months ago that, according to him, we did the same job. Promote living together, the ambition of a comfortable living environment, the reflection of a local culture, while driving an economy.

“The architect is a daily professional”

How would you define the profession of architect in 2025?
Today, the community rarely invites architects to solve social problems. Hence the slogan of the Order of Architects: “architecture is a solution”. The architect is a daily professional who improves the living conditions of his fellow citizens, in the face of accelerating climate change, among other crises we face. We will celebrate in 2027 at the Venice Biennale the fiftieth anniversary of the 1977 law on architecture. This law marked a turning point by structuring our professions with an Order of Architects on a national and regional scale, by establishing the rules for using an architect, making the living environment an expression of culture.

With this in mind, what are the missions of the Order of Architects?
As with all regulated professions, the Order organizes the profession by maintaining an up-to-date table of architects practicing in France. These 30,000 architects take an oath, at the start of their career, to practice conscientiously and with integrity while respecting the general interest. This commitment is strong and the Order is structured to ensure it. As for my mission as President of the National Council, it is also to work alongside the Government and Parliament to define public policies in terms of development and construction. Today, it is about ensuring that all French people transform their environment in the face of climate change for a comfortable daily life that also reflects local identity. That is to say with local resources, a situated architecture and a territorial economy.

“Designing the landscape for citizens is an immense responsibility. »

Why this Order? Why take an oath?
Because the independence of architects and the general interest are the essential conditions for the quality of the living environment. Designing the citizen landscape is an immense responsibility. And requires a lot of teaching. I often use this image when explaining our work in schools: when a family builds their house, everything inside is at their discretion – the bedrooms, the living room. On the other hand, the image of the facade belongs to the landscape, which itself belongs to the community, to the people who pass in front of it daily. This is the public interest of architecture. The architect is the trusted third party, vis-à-vis the project owner, political representation or the law.

Why is France one of the countries with the fewest architects? 44 per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure below our European neighbors…
There are many explanations: there are around 100,000 graduates from twenty-one architecture schools. And yet, there are only 30,000 registered with the Order of Architects, a figure which remains stable from year to year. Culturally, in France, something has happened for several decades, which is that we have separated the designer from the director. The work of an architect is one third design, one third description and one third construction. It is this last third which has been removed from the profession in the field of housing. However, the quality of the architectural work is measured by the quality of the execution. The definition of the man of the art is linked to the question of the execution of construction sites. In other countries, particularly in Northern Europe, it would not be possible to move a window without calling on an architect. The latter is this conductor who has a vision of all the professions linked to his work. Finally, its role is also to cross the barrier of political command. And for the order to be reasonable, economically viable, architects must be questioned about the capacity of a building to be transformed, or to be better used. Because it is a question of both economics and ecology. Architects master a discipline, also the first of the arts, which goes well beyond construction. Inventing for 68 million French people is a real responsibility. That’s the whole point of taking an oath to display this independence. Whether to design a courtyard, a house, a school or the Grande Arche…