“Think about going crazy”said an old gentleman to the young architect Flora del Sol, in The construction site, by Fabien Grolleau and Clément C. Fabre (Dargaud). The main character of this comic strip laments that architecture is now in the hands of serious people. The scene takes place on the heights of Barcelona (Spain), in Park Güell designed by Antoni Gaudi. Should we see in this a message from the screenwriter Fabien Grolleau, himself a former architect and who, in the preface, dedicates his book to young professionals, not without mentioning the sustainability issues that weigh on the sector? In any case, here is a comic strip which takes a tender and lucid look at a profession at the crossroads of science and art.
Flora del Sol, a talented young architect, has just joined a prestigious firm. That of El Rodrigo, a recognized professional with boundless audacity, whose unpredictability is feared by his half-fascinated, half-terrified teams. When it comes to toxic management, he would be at the top of the scale.
From the outset, we think of Quai d’Orsaythe comic strip by Abel Lanzac and Christophe Blain (Dargaud, 2010-2011), and the relationship between the young ministerial advisor Arthur Vlaminck and his whirlwind minister of foreign affairs, Alexandre Taillard de Worms.
Architect almost by accident
When El Rodrigo arrives at his office, the same tornado crosses the rooms: the clouds of “scritch”when he draws frantically, replacing the “tacatacatac” reels of the Minister of the Quai d’Orsay in full reasoning. An agitation of the character which also sets the tone of the album, half amused, half distanced, like the screenwriter who explains having become an architect almost by accident.
For Flora, this is the first major post-study project which came to fruition through an order from a demanding client. On a virgin plot of land by the sea, here she projects her ideas, as if on a white sheet. From the first sketches to site delivery, we follow her every step of the way, as she overcomes pitfalls and refines her project.
It’s as funny and quirky as it is just to convey the little daily worries of life on a construction site. Thus, the survival of an estimable Monterey pine is at stake with the complicity of a great starred chef who, during a dinner with customers, comes opportunely to tell a moving – totally fanciful – legend around this tree. sacred “, Who ” Lucky charm » and which should definitely not be destroyed…
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