the essential
Created in 1954 in Albi by Henri Brunerie, the Albigensian architectural agency is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. A family story told by three generations for an agency which today extends from Albi to Paris, on three continents and as far as China.
“What an incredible destiny… To see further, we will have to reinvent ourselves” confided Thomas Brunerie, 43, to his 200 guests for the 70th anniversary of the family agency. An architectural firm created in Albi in 1954 which today works on three continents.
From the creator, Henri Brunerie, with two architect brothers, to his son Pierre and grandson Thomas, “the Bruneries” follow each other and come together when it comes to choosing a profession.
Pierre loved mathematics, Thomas, in engineering preparation, aimed for the world of automobiles. Today they work side by side, with the same quest for excellence and, Thomas insists, “in close relationship with the public”. As evidenced by this birthday evening, celebrated Thursday until the end of the night by the agency’s clients and partners.
“It’s pride”
“It’s pride and it forces us to respect the foundation of our values” confides Thomas Brunerie, who joined his father’s company at the age of 28. “An important moment to make our employees and our clients understand the progress we have made,” adds Pierre Brunerie, who, at the age of 27, had to take the reins of the firm after the premature death of his father in 1982.
Projects in progress to date for the Albigensian company: among others a mega campus for the construction of hybrid aircraft at the Toulouse-Francazal air base or the deployment of the Toulouse aircraft manufacturer Aura Aero in Florida in the United States.
“People from all over the world”
Projects without borders like “people from all over the world” who work in the Albigensian company. A polyglot agency for multicultural, multigenerational teams, with equal numbers of men and women.
“In my workshop, there were no women” recalls Pierre Brunerie, witness to this cultural gap and the path traveled. In 2022, the Albigensian agency welcomed two young Ukrainian architecture students who were able to escape the war and finish their diploma remotely.
“I look for people who have a curiosity about life, about travel, about other people” continues Thomas Brunerie. A recipe that has clearly proven itself with very little turnover and partners chosen from the inside.
Internationally registered trademark
From the 800 HLM housing units created by Henri Brunerie in 1963, in the Ancely district of Toulouse, to the hundred Leclerc supermarkets such as Les Portes d’Albi, including a 180 m tower for the Chinese city of Ürumqi and projects for Airbus, the Brunerie name is now registered as an international brand.
Pierre Brunerie will move on in 2026. A little early to pass the baton to his grandchildren but who knows what this line of builders has in store for the future.
70 employees rue de la Poudrière
1954. Creation of a company in Albi by architect Henri Brunerie. The Agency is located on rue du Général Pont d’Albi and has 10 employees.
1970. Henri Brunerie becomes government consulting architect. The Agency launches into industrial construction.
1981. Henri’s son, Pierre Brunerie, a recently qualified architect, joins the agency. He took over the family business after the death of his father in 1982.
1990. Agence Brunerie moves to 2 Rue de la Poudrière and employs 25 people.
1998. Birth of Brunerie & Irissou Architectes, associated with Jean-François Irissou, central engineer and architect. The agency has 40 employees.
2001. Creation of the Amalric media library in Albi then the Multimedia House of Champollion University.
2009. Pierre Brunerie’s son, Thomas, 28 years old, double-qualified architect and engineer, joined the agency
2010. Construction of the Ningbo bridge, the longest in the world, delivered to China in 2022.
2020. Brunerie & Irissou Architectes Albi has 50 employees.
2024. 70th anniversary, opening of a practice in Paris. The Agency now has 70 employees.
