Philippe Rahm is architect, principal in the office of Philippe Rahm architectes, based in Paris, France. His work, which extends the field of architecture from the physiological to the meteorological, has received an international audience in the context of sustainability. In 2002, he was chosen to represent Switzerland at the 8th Architecture Biennale in Venice, and was one of the 25 Manifesto’s Architects of Aaron Betsky’s 2008 Architectural Venice Biennale. He is nominee in 2009 for the Ordos Prize in China and in 2010 and 2008 for the International Chernikov Prize in Moscow where he was ranked in the top ten. He has participated in a number of exhibitions worldwide (Archilab, Orléans, France 2000; SF-MoMA 2001; CCA Kitakyushu 2004; Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2003-2006 and 2007; Manifesta 7, 2008; Louisiana museum, Denmark, 2009; Guggenheim Museum, New-York 2010). In 2007, he had a personal exhibition at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. Mr. Rahm was a resident at the Villa Medici in Rome (2000). He was Headmaster at the AA School in London in 2005-2006, Visiting professor at the Mendrisio Academy of Architecture in Switzerland in 2004 and 2005, at the ETH Lausanne in 2006 and 2007, at the School of Architecture of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts of Copenhagen in 2009- 2010, in Oslo at the AHO in 2010-2011. From 2010 to 2012, he held the Jean Labatut Professorship in Princeton University, USA. He has lectured widely, including at Harvard School of Design, Cooper Union, UCLA and the ETH Zürich. He is working on several private and public projects in France, Taiwan, Italy and Germany. His recent work includes in 2011 the first prize for the 69ha Taichung Gateway Park in Taiwan, an office building of 13000 m2 in La Défense in France for the EPADESA; a convective condominium for the IBA in Hamburg, Germany; the white geology, a stage design for contemporary art in the Grand-Palais on the Champs-Elysées in Paris in 2009 and a studio house for the artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster in 2008. Monographic books include Physiological architecture published by Birkhaüser in 2002, Distortions, published by HYX in 2005, Environ(ne)ment: Approaches for Tomorrow, published by Skira in 2006 and Architecture météorologique published by Archibooks in 2009.

In Final Phases of the Masters in Advanced Architecture program students attend one of three Research Studios: Self-Sufficient Buildings, Digital Tectonics or Emergent Territories. At the end of Phase II MAA Students presented their initial proposals. Throughout Phase III they will refine this research for their final presentations. Last week, MAA Students in the Emergent Territories and Self Sufficient Buildings Development Studios had midterm reviews of their final projects.

The Emergent Territories studio, run MAA Co-Director Willy Müller, presented to an outside jury consisting of Bostjan Vuga from SADAR+VUGA and Miguel Roldán from Roldán + Berengué as well as studio assistant Maite Bravo and Luis Fraguada, IAAC staff.

The Self Sufficient Buildings Studio, run by IAAC Director Vicente Guallart and Javier Peña, presented to a jury which also included Bostjan Vuga as well as, studio assistant, Rodrigo Rubio.

This year final presentations will be held the week of June 27. All presentations are open to the public. We invite you to come to see the students present. More information will be provided closer to the week of presentations.

This week MAA students in the Self Sufficient Buildings Development Studio took a trip to Construmat 2011 with studio instructor, Javier Peña. Construmat is an annual trade show for the construction industry held in Barcelona. This year over 1,300 companies were at the trade show presenting their new products and innovations.

MAA students learned about new materials and technologies such as solar panels, solar water heaters, shading systems and water saving home appliances. Students had a chance to learn about the current market of construction materials and to see how they can incorporate them into their research at IAAC.

(Above- IAAC Faculty Javier Peña working with MAA Student Manuel Alejandro Huerta Fernandez (Mexico) in DS2)

Last week students in the Masters for Advanced Architecture Program began work in their Development Studios. Phase III of the MAA Program is an Open Educational Structure where the students attend a Development Studio plus 1 seminar engaged with the studio (MAA Research Trips) and 2 seminars chosen within their academic interest. Phase III continues its focus in three different scales of investigation: territorial, architectural and parametric design.

This Development Studio is led by Vicente Guallart (IAAC Director) and Javier Peña assisted by Rodrigo Rubio. They are joined by guest expert, Nikos Salingaros.

(Above: MAA Student Larisa Melnikova (Russia) working with  IAAC Faculty Javier Peña and Studio Assistant Rodrigo Rubio)