Developing alternative architecture models and eco-innovative products, Abel Guillaume and his studio Summum explore the new ways towards a sustainable living.

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 PHILIPPE COMBRES: Could you tell us about your background? ABEL GUILLAUME: I&rsquo;m from the south of France, I studied first in France and then in the US for my MA. I discovered St Barth in 2013 for the first time, on holiday, and I immediately fell in love with the island. Once I was done with my studies, I decided to look for an internship in St Barth. I started as an intern at ODP, a well-known design office in St Barth, directed by Olivier Dain. After a year designing villas in St Barth, I realized that I needed to diversify and to work on a wider spectrum of projects. I came back to France, working for two years at A+ Architecture, a big architecture company where I progressed to become an architect project manager, designing hospitals, restaurants, shops, housing projects, theaters, hotels. I participated in many different kinds of project. But during all this time, I was still working from France on my own on projects in St Barth with Olivier Dain, I never really totally left St Barth behind. Two years later, I decided to start my own design studio in Paris, specializing in the luxury market, but drawing on my background of being able to work on villas, hotels, restaurants, shops, and pretty much any other kind of project. After a year of practicing in Paris, we have decided to partner with Olivier Dain to create Summum St Barth. 
 PC: Can you explain the genesis of Summum? AG: Summum was born with the idea of offering the best to my clients. Summum means &ldquo;summit&rdquo; in Old Latin, and it defines the highest degree you can achieve in a field. A really ambitious name, not so easy to carry, yet this is what our clients expect from us. Every project is a really important project for our clients, a life project, a business investment, a dream, no matter the reason, each project is unique and means a lot to our clients. They trust us with their project and we have the duty to propose them the best. This is the very essence of Summum. 
 PC: How does Summum differ from other agencies? AG: Summum differs in many ways from the other architectural <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">agencies in St Barth. Far from any futile abstraction, our design focuses on the dreams and inspirations of our clients to give life and materiality to their expectations. Summum acts across multiple scales of intervention, housing, hotels, real estate development, shops, public buildings, offices. Our expertise in the field of luxury guarantees excellent know- how at each stage of the project. The spaces are unique, tailor- made, from the facade to the interior fittings, from dream to reality. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Precision <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">and <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">detail <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">are the key words. The materials, used in their most noble and raw form, define the atmosphere of each project. Coming from a vernacular heritage, the materials used are part of a local identity, with the greatest respect for their environment. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Summum is also very connected with the rest of the world. With an office in the very heart of Paris and one coming in Miami, Summum is always in touch with culture, art, fashion, always looking for the new trends... We design not only for and in St Barth, but also in the French Riviera, in Miami, in the French Alps, in Paris... We draw our inspiration from the most beautiful cities in the world, the most exclusive brands, and the most talented designers and artists from all walks of life. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">We are also very deeply concerned by environmental issues and truly think that smart solutions can be found and used to retain everything that define the luxury of a space.
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 PC: You collaborate with a large number of famous designers and suppliers, could you name a few? AG: Of course. We are architects and building managers. But we&rsquo;re not only this. We often work as interior designers, art directors, product designers. We want to highlight the &ldquo;French know-how&rdquo; and the excellence of its craftsmanship. This is why we collaborate with really iconic French brands to offer the best for our clients. We, for exemple, work in close collaboration with the house Lelièvre Paris to <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">source the finest fabrics, with THG Paris for high-end bathroom fittings and accessories, with Red Edition for furniture and millworks, with the saddlers, upholsterers, patternmakers, and seamstresses with inimitable know-how, Gordon&amp;Gaia... We have also undertaken collaborations with famous designers on some projects. With Olivier, we collaborated with Tristan Auer, Charles Zana, Jean-Michel Wilmotte and most recently with Oscar Lucien from Maison Numéro 20 and with Sam Baron when we redesigned the restaurant Bagatelle St Barth. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">We are also working on new collaborations with artists, as we truly believe that art and architecture are one.
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 PC: You seems worried by climate change. Is it more apparent when you live on a small island? AG: Yes, absolutely. Climate change is concerning everywhere. But on a small island like St Barth, it is really visible. St Barth is a Caribbean pearl, but it is also a really fragile ecosystem. We live alongside the ocean and nature. Climate change affects all of us in a way and it is our responsibility to proposes to our clients the most advanced technologies as well as the most sustainable solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of their projects. We have become specialists in green energy production, upcycling, in the reduction of electricity consumption, the reuse and use of rain water. We also put a lot of effort into founding and sourcing new materials, new suppliers, and sustainable construction processes. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">We are the only ones in St Barth designing projects with LEED certification (an international third-party certification program), as we did for the new Cartier boutique in Gustavia.
 PC: What has changed in your way of building, do you use new ways of making houses? AG: Sustainable solutions should not drive the design process itself, but we keep them in mind all the way through the <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">conception of every project. We know from the very first sketches that we need to integrate some systems, which have technical constraints, but we do it in a way that does not impact the design and architecture of the projects. Simple solutions can be used to reduce the need for air conditioning for example, just by paying attention to the orientation and how the prevailing winds behave. New materials and technologies allow us to design new shapes, such as with 3D printing. The use of the ocean&rsquo;s plastic pollution is one of the areas of new research and development we are exploring. Upcycling and the reuse of plastic ocean trash allow us endless possibilities to design furnitures but also partition screens, windows coverings, floors, wall panels. With Summum, we are convinced that luxury design can perfectly work with sustainable development.
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 PC: How do you see your job in 10 years, what are yours dreams? AG: I think that all the effort we put into Summum works in the same direction. To offer the best for our clients, the finest luxury design, but also the most sustainable solutions for their projects. In 10 years, I hope to be able to develop totally self-sufficient luxury projects, but also to collaborate with well-known artists from all around the world to produce incredible designs. I am also very interested by the rise of the digital world, the metaverse, and NFTs, which are all a new world to be explored. One of my dreams would be to bring back together art and architecture, from the very beginning of the conception process, as was the case before modernism through the &ldquo;beaux arts.&rdquo; We are truly convinced that this will be one of the next big evolutions in architecture. It has to be.
 For more information: @summumarchi 
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