This Saturday, April 24th, 2021, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet made his entry into the International Space Station where he will spend the next six months. In this occasion, AA features here the interview with scientist, astronaut and politician Claudie Haigneré published in a special issue dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Fondation Jacques Rougerie (available on our eshop).

By Philippe Tretiack

L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui: How long have you been active in the Foundation?
Claudie Haigneré: I have known Jacques Rougerie for many years. I admire his visionary personality, his desire to pass on essential values, and his willingness to nurture and support young talent.

What is your role there?
I very happily accepted a seat on the jury, and then serve as jury chair for the Architecture Espace section. Jacques and I share the same temperament: each of us are explorers in our own fields, space and the sea. Beyond our scientific, technical or operational skills, we share a philosophy that has been acquired through lives rich in adventure, and grounded in our expertise as practitioners.

What do space and the sea have in common?
Both of them remain largely unexplored. We can apply our imaginations to them, and cross-fertilise ideas centred on humanity and its future. Beyond technical mastery, we see here the birth of a poetic, humanistic prospective. In the Space section, these young talents are taking us to the farthest reaches of our solar system; in doing so, they set our imaginations free to roam.

What does architecture bring to space?
The dialogue between the juries, very ably facilitated by Dominique Perrault, has been enlightening and open-minded. The engagement and vision of this young generation of talents force us to look beyond our reasonable intellectual boundaries. Over the years, we have accumulated valuable resources that are international, multidisciplinary and culturally diverse. These are irreplaceable foundations on which to build the future of our civilisations. Ultimately, the act of bringing this work to a wide public is an antidote to fatalism. I agree completely with the line from Marcel Proust, “the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”.