Material Bank: It has never been so easy to source and sample materials

Axel Schoenert

Architect & Co-Founder - Axel Schoenert architectes

Axel Schoenert founded the Franco-German Axel Schoenert architectural firm with his wife Zsofia Varnagy, interior designer, in 1999 in Paris. With a multicultural team, the agency builds its business, in France and internationally, in the fields of architecture, interior design, design and furniture design. The firm’s priority is to promote an eclectic vision of its work and favor the diversification of the field by intervening both on new projects as well as on complex revamps. Their expertise is put to use on all types of programs and on all types of scales: offices, hotels, restaurants, spas, housing, public buildings and cultural facilities. Among his remarkable projects, the restructuring and new construction of SHIFT 54 London (Winner of the SIMI Grand Prix 2018), the UFO future headquarters of Le Bon Coin, measuring over 7 000m², the Belvédère at La Défense, the Puteaux city hall in 2013 (Winner of the ArchiDesignClub Awards in 2015); renovations of office buildings in the center of Paris such as Octo Technology’s 34 avenue de l’Opéra and the 4-6 rue d’Athènes seat of the MNT, the world headquarters of Sephora, rue Ybry in Neuilly-sur-Seine; or even refurbishments of the 4 co-working spaces created in France by one of the leaders of the sector, the WeWork company. Cultural areas, restaurants and fitness centers are also part of the agency’s references. In Paris, for example, it has revamped the first hotel in France of 25hours Hotel Terminus Nord, the Beauchamps hotel incorporating the theme of “Flâneur”, and the first two MEININGER hotels which will open to the public in October 2019 in Paris and Lyon.

Marius Hamelot

Co-founder - Le Pavé® / sasminimum

Marius Hamelot (CEO of SAS MINIMUM) is an architect, born of architect parents. After graduating from the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Versailles, he was able to work in several European countries: in Sweden, where he developed a keen sense of the challenges of ecological transition in the building sector, and then in the Netherlands at the OMA (Office for Metropolitean Architecture), where he was able to work closely with Rem Koolhaas. It was during his Master's degree at ENSA Versailles that the beginnings of the material Le Pavé® were born, on the occasion of a design project for a campus in the heart of the Kenyan desert.

Sara Ibrahim

Architect, Interior Designer & Senior project manager – Axel Schoenert architectes

Philippe Brocart

CEO - Material Bank Europe

Philippe Brocart is in charge of Material Bank's activities in Europe. From 2012 to 2021, he was Managing Director of Maison&Objet and was notably responsible for the launch of the MOM digital platform. Previously, as General Manager, he managed numerous trade fairs and events within RX France, a subsidiary of RELX.

Karine Vergniol

Journalist

During her 20-year stint at BFMBusiness, the TV and radio channel for the latest business news, Karine Vergniol specialized in the fashion, luxury and lifestyle sectors. As a reporter and presenter, she also hosted many shows, including « Goûts de luxe » (“A taste of luxury”) and « Innover pour le commerce » (“Retail Innovation”). At the same time, she developed an event-management and seminar-moderation business, notably around the themes of fashion and luxury: the Forum de la Mode and Relance Export Mode et Luxe (Fashion and Luxury Export Promotion) for Business France, as well as events such the Paris Shop and Design Awards. Today, as an independent journalist, she appears on the BSmart channel, creates podcasts for brands and institutions, and hosts webinars for organizations such as French Design by VIA.