Marc Breitman, a Paris native, studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts. After earning his degree, he was awarded a scholarship to study in Venice, where he traveled extensively across Italy, drawing inspiration from architectural masters such as Alberti and Brunelleschi.

His passion for traditional architecture deepened during a four-year teaching tenure in Tunisia, where he and his students documented the country’s architectural heritage by compiling an inventory of building and urban space drawings. This experience was followed by a research trip to Baghdad, where he conducted a survey of a historic district, further reinforcing his understanding of the role of tradition and culture in urban planning.

Following his time in Tunisia and Iraq, Marc returned to Paris to teach at his alma mater, the École des Beaux-Arts, located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the very neighborhood where he and his sister, Nada Breitman, now live. Initially, Marc and Nada were “paper architects,” publishing books and drawings advocating for traditional urban design without undertaking built projects.

In 1989, they founded their own architecture and urban planning studio, with their first major commission focusing on the revitalization of Bruay-la-Buissière, a former coal mining town in northern France. Once lined with long, uniform blocks of miners’ housing, the town had suffered economic decline after the mines closed. With government funding, the Breitmans transformed the existing structures, introducing new buildings and reconfiguring public spaces to create a more welcoming, integrated urban environment—blending public and private housing without visual separation.

The success in Bruay led to similar projects across former mining towns in northern France, as well as various mixed-housing developments in towns and suburbs throughout the country. Their high-profile work includes the transformation of Le Plessis-Robinson, a Paris suburb, and the redesign of a city center along the road to Versailles. Their expertise also extended internationally with the Westermoskee in Amsterdam, a project that seamlessly integrates Muslim and Dutch architectural influences while incorporating social housing and a hotel into the city’s fabric.

In 2018, Marc and Nada Breitman were honored with the Richard H. Driehaus Prize at the University of Notre Dame for their exceptional contributions to classical architecture in large-scale public housing developments in France and the Netherlands. The award recognized their ability to restore human scale, proportion, and civic identity to urban spaces, enhancing both security and community welfare.

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