in progress
Lâme is an international architecture and design studio based in Paris, founded by Alexandre Lahyani and Angel Menendez in 2013.
Lâme is deeply involved in the issue of heritage and addresses inherent issues, such as transmission and repair, in its projects by creating and reconstructing architectural and cultural heritage, both vernacular and popular, that distinguish places and unite users.
Revealing what already exists, connecting and unifying the heart of the town.
In May 2025, Lâme won the competition to manage the renovation and extension of the town hall of Saint-Marcel-lès-Chalon (71).
The winning competition aims to rehabilitate and extend the town hall of Saint-Marcel-lès-Chalon - facing the emblem of the town of Saint Marcel, the abbey church of the Abbey of Saint-Marcel-lès-Chalon - which includes the renovation of the old boys' school, the old private house and the creation of a new extension connecting the two existing buildings, replacing the current extension.
Lâme placed the encounter at the heart of the proposed architectural project for an optimized organization of civic life and a redesigned conviviality, with particular attention paid to the creation of connections that weave through the entire study and the upcoming intervention, for an organized porosity within the heterogeneity of uses. Continuity, with respect for the existing structure—the place and its history—is affirmed, in an ode to simplicity, functionality, and accessibility in everyday life.
Rethinking life in the heart of the city.
At the beginning of 2025, Lâme delivered a focal point of local life in a small, authentic town in the Hauts-de-France region, in the Aisne department, with a rich Art Deco heritage: the rehabilitation and extension of the Covered Market and the redevelopment of the Place de Chauny. The Place du Marché Couvert de Chauny, inaugurated in February.
Lâme - in co-contracting with GRUET Ingéniérie / LEMA paysage - created a central place there, as it is a major part of the city's life, through an architectural intervention accompanied by urban and landscape reflection, respecting the existing structure and aiming to:
- Renovate the Chauny Covered Market
- Redevelop the Covered Market Square
- Design a modular outdoor canopy that could, among other things, accommodate the market's outdoor stalls.
With the new Chauny Covered Market Square, Lâme creates and deploys a single architectural language that unites the interior and exterior.
The renovation and expansion of the Covered Market, combined with the redevelopment of the square, allow for adaptation to new uses and climatic hazards, renewing its appeal and affirming the dynamism of the revitalized center of a town of fewer than 20,000 inhabitants in northern France.
duties
audit, benchmark, monitoring, research, prospective
strategic direction, conception / writing of speaking engagements, communication plan, media planning, operational implementation, influence (targeting, press and public relations - and mediation - promotion, partnerships
consulting and action centers: monitoring, research, mapping, financing, fundraising, prospecting, call for projects, competitions and applications, networking, partnerships