Interview with Jean-Marie Dancy: Give your workplace a new lease of life!

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A graduate from the UPA in Nancy, Jean-Marie Dancy is a freelance architect, programmer and specialist service sector analyst. Starting in 1986, as a consultant at Décisions Immobilières, a subsidiary of the Auguste-Thouard group, he coordinated the transfer of Les Nouvelles Messageries de la Presse Parisienne, fitting out the ENA in Strasbourg and the renovation of the head offices of the Société Générale. In 1995, he was with Eurythmic where he developed a programming department. In 2005, he became a freelance architect again, advising different organisations on renovation projects. He is currently involved with Atisreal Consult where he is coordinating the consolidation of certain divisions of the Direction Générale de l’Armement in Bagneux.

• What do your assignments involve?

I help companies who have just bought or rented a property, to set up in their new environment. So, before making any decisions, I draw up very specific requirements, bringing together all the needs of everyone involved in terms of surfaces, IT equipment and office furniture. After looking into this on a case-by-case basis, I advise on where and how the offices, meeting rooms and transitional areas should be laid out. So the programming side of things lets professionals define their needs before committing to buying or renting a location, and to get the most out of the space that they are thinking of using.

• Has the technology involved developed significantly in recent years?

In the past, we used to talk about “standard-programming” which was used by different design offices. As demand increased, the sector outsourced more, and our industry adapted in order to respond better to the constraints of the market.

• Is this something that varies from one country to another?

There are indeed notable differences between cultures. In Anglo-Saxon countries, there has long been a tradition of open-plan offices, with no partitioning at all, but which are also very standardised. Everyone knows about these vast versatile spaces with shared areas in the middle, and managers’ offices around the edge… Today, this kind of space is a lot more complex, and better adapted to what different businesses do.

• Does the European market open up new perspectives for you?

Yes, because our main issue is optimising the spaces that we occupy or that we buy. As the price per metre squared is constantly fluctuating, we can’t allow any waste at all, nor can we use our space just any old way. In this sense, the Anglo-Saxon experience is a real inspiration, as in the UK, each square metre is used according to very specific criteria and allocations.

• How would you differentiate between programming and managing space?

Programming space happens well before a location is chosen. It is part of the planning process which determines the needs of a business according to a potential offer to an estate agency. If a company wants to move away from the town centre and set up on the outskirts, it can come to us in order to help focus its needs within its budget. On request, we can draw up a detailed balance sheet of its demands, working conditions, and future plans for development. This scale allows us to re-assess each area so that it corresponds perfectly to the life of the business. So it’s really an internal revolution, as all employees will, sooner or later, be guided through looking at their usual working environment and adapting the way they work… These alterations are not always easy to implement, as they involve a certain amount of psychological preparation…Sharing a large office with four or five new colleagues day in, day out, is an experience that is not always easy…

• Some materials, such as asbestos, are rather controversial, and age badly. Are you asked to reorganise spaces that are already established?

You know, in our industry, as elsewhere, we’re in the hands of the news stories of the day, and technological innovations. Ecological issues of course play a part too. So, we frequently redesign office spaces in order to, for example, improve acoustic comfort…These days there are ecological materials which are soundproof and non-pollutant that we didn’t know about in previous decades… The same goes for flooring materials, which are constantly being developed. And for lighting too, or partitioning which is revolutionising our workplace.

• What are today’s trends?

There is a trend for open spaces which are accessible to everyone, as far as possible. Things are complicated by trying to combine quantity and quality, and by aiming for maximum comfort with minimum resources. Indeed, it is not unusual for an increase in surface area to reduce visual comfort, and vice-versa… So we pay particular attention to lighting, choosing the colour scheme, and the quality of materials and textures…

• Has technology changed your outlook?

Technology is a valuable aid because, as you can tell, we are always using forecasting and simulation tools.

• Does this evolution lead you to establish on-going relationships with your different partners?

Yes, and it’s definitely this long-term work that motivates us the most. Of course we try to keep or customers loyal by keeping up good relationships with people working in other services. And, from our point of view, we certainly wouldn’t hesitate to keep re-evaluating and adapting this partnership to developments in the service sector.

• What is your aim?

Our aim is to produce something that works, in other words, spaces where you can work in harmony with yourself and with others, where you can feel more or less at home, without feeling constricted. You know, space plays a major role in improving a business’s profitability and well-being… Partitioning off an area also involves partitioning its habits. By opening up a space, a new way of communicating within a team is introduced, leading to more effective and more interactive dialogue. Reducing noise and environmental pollution, balancing the lighting and the interior décor, maintaining a consistent relationship between the interior and the exterior, bringing together each aspect of the business in a new and imaginative way, productivity is multiplied, in a healthy and pleasant atmosphere. This improves time management, and nurtures responsiveness!

• Is an older building more difficult to refurbish than a newer build?

That’s not the right question to ask. It’s true that an older building will be more difficult to open up, as it will have a certain number of supporting walls. That having been said, this kind of building will present an interesting challenge in terms of refurbishment. In spite of appearances, it’s still fairly manageable from a spatial perspective. Our role is precisely to adapt to all sorts of configurations, and so we can’t have any preconceived ideas. In other words, we bring together the identity of a business with the identity of a space. This marriage, which is not always easy to make work, can only succeed if we all respect each other’s freedom...

Contact details:

16, rue Elzévir. 75003 Paris.

Email: jean-marie@wanadoo.fr