Two of a complex of three office buildings, the Anglo Mauritius House, the Swan building and the Swan Group Centre, in the heart of Port Louis were renovated. The existing Anglo Mauritius building was restored to its original architecture by reintroducing lighter aluminium panels in place of the original horizontal heavier concrete panels which had been removed due to fear of collapse.
Colours were introduced to recapture the spirit of the all reinforced concrete structure with a distinct Le Corbusian influence.
The 3-storey Swan building which was clad in aluminium is reclad in beige marble to uplift and improve the building. The original timber teak shutters which had been painted over are restored to their natural state reviving this noble timber. Aluminium false ceilings which had replaced hardwood were replaced once more with natural timber as a more faithful return to the original architecture.
Jean Francois Koenig is amongst the “100 Architects of the year 2012” in an International competition organised by the Korean Institute of Architects (KIA) and the International Union of Architects (UIA).
At the triennial event of the 24th World Congress of Architecture, UIA2011 Tokyo under the heading “Sustainable by Design 2050”, the building for The Mauritius Commercial Bank was amongst 5 to represent the best of the architecture of the continent of Africa.
Jean Francois Koenig was a guest speaker at the 2010 Mauritius Eco-Building Conference and at the 2011 South African Green Building Conference in Johannesburg.
In 1979 whilst still a student, Jean Francois Koenig obtained third prize from judges Norman Foster, Charles Moore and Dereck Walker in the International competition “An Image for Britain” organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The competition called for designs on the ‘Hampton Site’ next to Trafalgar Square, London. Jean Francois Koenig went ‘beyond the brief’ and proposed a pedestrian link between Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square. The winning entries were the subject of an exhibition at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). View ‘Student Prize’.
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