The Hanseatic city of Hamburg was chosen for the 2017 study trip. Back on a practice of many architectural offices, including mvt.

A large part of the mvt team boarded a plane bound for Hamburg in early October. The trip, three days on site, including the weekend was of course an opportunity to strengthen ties, but not only. This ritual, which takes place every two years in our office, also pursues ambitious objectives.

One of them is to create a common architectural reference, a kind of continuous formation through collective experience. For us, architecture studies and travel enrich each other. The first ones allow taking a hard look on a city and its buildings: organization of the territory, spaces, scales, volumes, light, etc. Travel, on the other hand, is a source of inspiration as an instrument for the architectural project. This is even more true when the trip is supervised by an expert who gives us the keys to quickly understand the factors that have influenced the genesis of buildings and future developments: geographical position, historical context, culture and significant events. They come to remind us that any project cannot be exported as is, but incredibly open the mind to the field of possibilities.

The other goal for an office like ours, which largely realizes what it draws, is to explore new materials and innovative construction methods, taking into account economic imperatives, societal issues and constraints related to the territory. In this sense, the meetings organized on the spot with public and private economic actors allow fruitful exchanges and enrich the range of our competences.

Emile Zola wrote, "Nothing develops intelligence like travel. ".

Our study trips are like his quote: broaden our vision by discovering new horizons. And share it to enrich it and put it at the service of our architectural projects.

 © mvt/architectes

We chose the Hanseatic city of Hamburg for our study trip in 2017.
MVT is one of many architects offices to value study trips.

In early October most of the MVT team boarded a plane to Hamburg.

The trip, comprising three days in Germany over a weekend, was a great opportunity for team-building, but that's not all. This ritual, held every two years for our staff, also has some ambitious objectives.

One of these is to generate a shared architectural baggage, a sort of vocational training through a team experience. To our way of thinking, studying architecture and travelling are mutually beneficial. Studying the subject enables us to cast a professional eye on a city and its buildings: planning, spaces, scales, volumes, light, etc. While the trips provide a source of inspiration and ideas for our own architectural projects. This is even more the case when we are accompanied by an expert who gives us the tools to understand what influenced the growth of the urban environment and its future developments: geographical location, historical context, culture and milestones. They remind us that no project can be exported lock, stock and barrel, though they do open our minds to incredible opportunities.

The other aim for a firm like ours that, in most cases, builds what it designs, is to explore new materials and innovative construction techniques, taking account of financial constraints, social issues and the nature of the land. To this end, the meetings organized on site with public and private economic stakeholders give rise to fruitful exchanges that enrich our range of skills.

Emile Zola once wrote, "Nothing broadens the mind like travel."

Our study trips aim to reflect this quotation: broaden our vision by discovering new horizons. And then share that vision to develop it before applying it to our architectural projects.