Presentation of RiO

RiO is a firm of architects and urban planners specialising in three areas:

  • Territorial strategy
  • Urban design
  • Architectural design

The firm takes a close interest in project and change management, as well as spatial uses and practices. It received recognition for its project in the Saint Jean neighbourhood of Clermont Ferrand (France), winning the Europan competition in 2011. The award served as a launch pad for the firm’s development.

It has carried out – and is currently conducting – a number of studies focusing on entire regions or areas (including Greater Paris, Atelier National Marne and Gondoire) alongside urban projects (in Stains, Orléans, etc.) and architectural projects (Noisiel, Le Havre, etc.).

It is presently working on plans to redevelop the seafront in the town of Yport (76). In the course of its work, it has worked closely with various stakeholders in the development of strategic territories, such as Euroméditerranée, another AIVP member.

It believes its role is to identify sustainable conditions and methods for implementing projects. “We also try to think of each project as a ‘way of doing things’. Making change possible means not just taking into account the physical environment and its constraints, but thinking about how to ensure it is accepted and implemented, by local communities, users, residents or operational stakeholders,” explains Pierre BAILLY, associate architect with the firm.

What made you decide to join AIVP?

The firm is keen to focus more on tackling the problems facing ports, and coastal issues more generally. To be clear, we are currently competing for public contracts involving these issues, and we believe that membership of AIVP will reassure potential future clients.

What are you expecting to gain from membership?

A number of things. From a technical perspective, we are looking forward to talking to other AIVP members, to improve our knowledge about the way port infrastructures work, places, people and the needs they are expressing. In terms of developing our own activity, we are delighted to be joining this international network, which will help us stay up to date with the latest issues in this field, as well as studies in which our competencies could be useful.

What do you think you can contribute to AIVP?

It’s quite simple. Our take on things. Our ability to imagine, project, propose interactions between the city and port. We can share our experience with AIVP’s members. We also have a wide network of fellow architects and urban planners, as well as design offices specialising in all of the fields that we touch on in our work: forward planning, economics, legal and financial arrangements, networks and highways, environment, construction auditing and engineering, landscaping, transitory urban planning, artists, developers, and consultants in all kinds of fields.

To find out more about RiO, visit their website (in French).