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.
