Credit: Rick Tonizzo
Luxembourg-based Valentiny HVP Architects has announced that it is releasing a five-volume book collection to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
The book collection “40 Years Valentiny HVP Architects: Stories from the Inside” takes an intimate look back at the past four decades at the architectural firm.
Founded by François Valentiny and Hubert Hermann in 1980 under the name Hermann Valentiny Architekten, and renamed Valentiny HVP Architects in 2012, the firm has carried out more than 400 projects to date. Its Luxembourg portfolio includes the award-winning Biodiversum nature reserve in Remerschen and the KPMG office building in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.
Following two years of research and production, this new book collection presents never-before-seen material from the archives of the Valentiny Foundation (founded by François Valentiny in 2014). Interviews lasting several hours resulted in the “Stories from the Inside” narrative which runs through the collection as continuous texts and bears witness to the architectural firm’s personal experiences, challenges and passion for architecture.
Chronicle.lu recently had the opportunity to discuss the books and the firm’s 40th anniversary in more detail with François Valentiny and his daughter Anna Valentiny.
Speaking about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which put the firm's anniversary celebrations on hold last year, Mr Valentiny noted that the crisis had presented challenges for everyone but that it was important to adapt and take things "day by day". He added that architecture can be a challenging profession even in "normal" times, although he was grateful to have always looked on the bright side rather than focusing on problems. Mr Valentiny was hopeful that Valentiny HVP Architects would be able to organise a celebratory event at the end of the year.
Anna Valentiny, who has a Master of Architecture from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, spoke about her experience leading the book project in cooperation with her publishing house Point Nemo Publishing (founded in March 2020) and Luxembourg design studio Studio Polenta. She explained that the project had already been in the works before she took over three years ago.
With a total of 2,150 pages, the five volumes each address a different topic: culture, learning and working (i.e. administrative buildings), living (housing and urban planning), leisure time (sport facilities, landscape design for open-air spaces) and the more intimate monography, composed of a selection of family photos and stories from the Valentiny Foundation.
To attract both a Luxembourgish and an international audience, the books are written mainly in English, then French, with some texts written in German (accompanied by translations).
Anna Valentiny worked closely with Annick Kieffer of Studio Polenta on the project; the two had previously worked together successfully on the redesign of Adato, Luxembourg’s first architectural magazine, founded by François Valentiny 20 years ago.
Ms Valentiny noted that the books contain facts and figures, but also “a sincere confrontation with ourselves about [past] years and the development over those years”. A passionate architect and writer, she described this as a “project of the heart”.
The realisation of this large-scale project also received support from a long list of sponsors, namely long-term partners in the building sector who worked together to present their common projects to the public. Anna Valentiny expressed optimism that the architectural firm would be able to celebrate this milestone with its partners at the end of this year. She stressed that such a project was only possible “with great partners”.
A series of events to accompany the book publication are in the works. At present, there is already discussion of potential events at the Valentiny Foundation itself, as well as lectures and readings at bookstores in Luxembourg. As restrictions on gatherings continue, despite the reopening of Luxembourg’s cultural scene, the firm is looking for pragmatic solutions “to welcome anyone who wants to join” these celebrations.
Anna Valentiny was also confident that the book project would develop into something more, perhaps an exhibition or a lecture series – thus continuing the firm’s decades-old legacy.
“40 Years Valentiny HVP Architects: Stories from the Inside” will be available in Luxembourg's main bookstores from the first week of June 2021; the collection costs €99.95.
