Franklin Azzi set up his practice in 2006 and has been developing urban design, architecture, interior architecture and design projects in France and elsewhere ever since. He is assisted by a team of forty or so, including architects, designers, interior decorators and graphic designers, as well as art historians.

The agency has made a name for itself thanks to large publicly-funded cultural projects, such as Gare Saint-Sauveur and Le Tripostal in Lille, the Mame printing works in Tours, and the urban redevelopment of the Quai Branly, a listed UNESCO World Heritage site, along with the banks of the river Seine in Paris. It is also renowned for designing office blocks that bear its hallmark in terms of performance and design, such as the Workstation tower block in the Défense district, and for completely overhauling older buildings, such as the office buildings on Rue du Renard and Boulevard Raspail in Paris.

Top names from the fashion world, such as Christophe Lemaire, Isabel Marant, Jérôme Dreyfuss, Bali Barret, Lacoste or the LMVH group, have also called on the Franklin Azzi agency to design their boutiques in the US, Japan, Korea, China and France.

Last but not least, as a firm believer in the power of sharing knowledge and expertise to overcome the challenges of our time, since 2017, Franklin Azzi has been leading the Tour de Montparnasse project as part of Nouvelle AOM (a team of agencies he brought together to take part in the international architectural competition Demain Montparnasse), working alongside Chartier Dalix Architectes and Hardel Le Bihan Architectes. Illustrative of his ability to create and innovate through upcycling, this project, scheduled to be completed by 2024, represents everything Franklin Azzi feels a vertical city should be – energy efficient, accessible and resilient.

Eight years ago, the Franklin Azzi practice set up home in a magnificent late-19th century building which originally housed clothing workshops. The huge workspace, with white walls, is spacious and airy. Employees work on one of several open space floors and each workstation is equipped with a mobile USM Haller storage unit, finished in graphite black. USM Haller’s furniture provides the agency with flexibility, to meet any new needs immediately.

The meeting rooms are equipped with USM Haller tables, whose tops all have a black lacquered oak finish, including in the large meeting space in the basement of the building, where the table arrangement creates a striking effect.

As a long-standing collector of USM furniture, using it in his agency is second nature to Franklin Azzi. “What I like about USM is that I can build functional furniture. I can turn it into a sideboard, or a piece of furniture for reprography work”, says Franklin Azzi. “It actually changes every year, because I have new needs every year.”

Like many artists who enjoy working in a neutral space, Franklin Azzi has chosen a graphite black finish for all his USM Haller furniture, bringing an elegant neutral style to the entire workspace.

Far from expressing any formal style, the architectural work of Franklin Azzi's agency is minimalist in look and as functional as you can get, two qualities that are easily associated with USM furniture.

If you want to purchase a USM Haller piece yourself design it now in our online configurator, or find your local sales partner here.