Columbia Global Centers | Paris and Robert Grace Architecture invite you to

state of grace
rencontres 2016-2017
a series of conversations around architecture and collaboration

rencontre 08 : Edouard François

Tuesday, April 11, 19h
Columbia Global Centers | Paris
Reid Hall, 4 rue de Chevreuse
75006 Paris


 
"Perhaps the greatest architect practising in France today"
 
The pioneer of green buildings will present his recently completed M6B2 tower in the 13ème on the eastern edge of Paris.
A forum and discussion will follow. (In English)

A state of grace rencontre not to be missed.


The event is free and open to the public


Please RSVP Here


 

Edouard François

Alumnus of the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Edouard François has been an architect and urban planner since 1986. He established his own architectural, urban planning, and design studio in 1998. His career was launched with various projects, including “The Building that Grows” in Montpellier (2000) and the “Flower Tower” in Paris (2004).

Edouard François has taught in schools around the world, including the Architectural Association in London, the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris and the Design Academy in Eindhoven. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the Pompidou Centre and the FRAC Centre, and has been regularly exhibited internationally, including the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Venice Architecture Biennale. His work has also been exhibited in Germany, Belgium, Lebanon, India, Brazil, and China. In 2011, Edouard François was elected Creator of the Year and the Royal Institute of British Architects also named him an honorary member for his contribution to international architecture (Int. Fellow RIBA). In 2012, he was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture.

The architecture of Edouard François reflects the tendencies of contemporary society. Sustainable development, the utilization of local materials and services, and the preservation and enhancement of existing buildings are all recurrent themes in his work.

They are expressed through strong and unexpected proposals that still remain rooted in their context.

Housing projects like La Closeraie in Louviers, Eden Bio in Paris, Coming Out in Grenoble (which won the Sustainable Habitat Award in 2008), and Urban Collage in Champigny-sur-Marne all investigate new forms of sustainable, “ecological” habitats.

The M6B2 Tower in Paris (to be completed in 2014) and the Planted Tower in Nantes explore more closely the idea of biodiversity. The former includes the use of wind to spread first-generation seeds and promote the regeneration of plants throughout the Paris metropolitan area. The Nantes tower studied the creation of a unique vertical exhibition of plants from the Botanical Garden of Nantes, compiled by explorers of the entire world. His latest high-rise project in Grenoble radicalizes ecological and social experimentation by detaching the correlation between facades and balconies.

In addition, Edouard François questions the nature of historical architecture through projects such as the hotel Fouquet's Barrière, the hotel Cheval Blanc at the Samaritaine, and the Metropole Hotel in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. These projects are original proposals with forms that are as contemporary and radical as they are respectful to their historic or exceptional surroundings.

In 2012, Edouard François has given fresh impetus to his studio, now named Maison Edouard François.

 

website : http://www.edouardfrancois.com/home/

 

 

Robert Grace  is an architect and graduate of Columbia University and the University of Melbourne. He has undertaken Ph.D study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. Based in Paris, he is registered in three countries and has completed and has ongoing projects in Australia, Europe, and the Caribbean.

His practice, robert grace architecture, has been operating in Europe for over twenty years. His work has won awards in Australia, the US and the UK, and has been widely published, as have his critical reviews. He has served on international juries, and taught and lectured in Australian, American and European universities. Established in 2016, State of Grace is the research arm of robert grace architecture. Its “Rencontres 2016-2017” series invites luminaries of architecture and related fields to discuss their collaborations.

 
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