Mission

Maître d’Enseignement et de Recherche at the EPFL, ENAC (School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering), Architecture Section, Lab-U (Laboratory of Urbanism).
Member of the Library Commission at the EPFL.

Associate publisher at Metispresses and director of architecture and urbanism collection “vuesDensemble” (since 2005).
President of the Board of Fondation Braillard Architectes, Geneva.

Biography

2. Education

2000 PHD ès sciences at the Department of Architecture EPFL Lausanne. (Thesis: L'urbanisme en devenir: réseaux et matériaux de l'aménagement urbain à Genève dans les années trente).
1990 Laurea in Architettura at the Institute of Architecture, University of Venice (Italy).

3. Employment history

Since 2007 Maître d’Enseignement et de Recherche at the EPFL, ENAC Faculty, at the Laboratory of Urbanism.
2006 Lecturer at the Institute of Geography, University of Neuchâtel.
2000-2007 Research associate and Lecturer at the EPFL, Department of Architecture.
2001-2009 Associate foreign scientist at LOUEST (Laboratoire Organisations Urbaines: Espaces Sociétés Temporalités, UMR CNRS 2410, France).
2000 Maître de Conférence, Section 24 « Aménagement de l’espace, urbanisme » of the French Council of Universities.
1995-2006 Research associate at the Fondation Braillard Architectes, Geneva.

4. Institutional responsibilities

Since 2018 Member of the Scientific Committee of the EPFL Research Center HABITAT.
Since 2017 Member of the Committee of the Doctoral School EDAR.
Since 2017 Member of the Scientific Committe of the CAS Thèmes et Echelles de l’Urbanisme, in the frame of the MAS-Continuing Education in Urbanism, EPFL - University of Geneva.

Related to these activities, are other roles in the academy: Member of the Library Commission at the EPFL (since 2013) Member of the Research Commission at the ENAC Faculty (2009-1015), Member and/or President of the PhD final exam and Phd admission exam juries for the Doctoral Schools of University of Venice, KU Leuven, Université de Grenoble, Université de Louvain-La-Neuve and EPFL.

5. Approved research projects

I have a 20 years of experience in interdisciplinary research projects, involving principally the domains of architecture, landscape, environmental engineers, and sociology. My most important research experience relates to the SNF Sinergia Post-car world. A trans-disciplinary multi-dimensional Simulation as Partner Leader (Main Leader: Prof. Jacques Lévy), and as Main Leader of the Sub-Project C: Urbanity. Configuring a Post-Car world (2013-2017). Others projects to be mentioned: Urban gardening and human wellbeing in the greater Lausanne area (Partner leader; ENAC Exploratory Grant 2016-17) ; Territory in the Crisis (Partner leader; Compagnia di San Paolo 2013-15) ; 1 km Well-being. The Urban Landscape Observatory (Partner leader; Swiss cooperation project in architecture, CEPF and CUS Funding 2009-2011); Résistance et projet. Du destin des Grottes (1930-2030) (Partner leader; partnership EPFL and Fondation Braillard Architectes). Currently, I’m co-leading one SNF project on Social Housing (Div. 1) and the Joint Project City and Production in the frame of crisis (Compagnia di San Paolo and Politecnico di Torino).

6. Supervision of junior researchers at graduate and postgraduate level

Since 1999, have joint various thesis committees in Switzerland and in Europe. Currently, I am super-vising 2 PhD theses, after supervising 3 others and the Post Doctoral fellowship of Antonio Di Campli.

7. Teaching activities

I am currently teaching in the following fields: History and Theory of urbanism, Theory of contemporary landscape and urban design, Cultural representation of nature, Interdisciplinary issues in Urban and Land Planning. My present classes at EPFL are: Theories of Urbanism I and II (bachelor); UE J Territory and Landscape (master seminar). After being responsible of interdisciplinary education in ENAC-EPFL (Cours ENAC, 2006-08; ENAC Week, 2004-17), I have been increasingly involved in Post graduate education. Namely, I am member of the Board of the CAS Thèmes et Echelles de l’Urbanisme, in the frame of MAS Continuing Education in Urbanism EPFL-UNIGE (Since 2018), after being co-responsible of PhD class Concepts and Theory 1 (EDAR-EPFL 2014-2017). Recently I chaired the Scientific committee of the Doctoral Seminar Comparing habitat in the frame of swissuniversities (2017) and co-coordinated the International Masterclass Territories in the crisis (EPFL-Polytchnique of Turin-University of Venise, 2016).

8. Recent Memberships in panels, boards, etc., and individual scientific reviewing activities 


2016 Reviewer for the National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (Italy), in the frame of the Evaluation of Research Quality for the years 2011-2014

Since 2015 Scientific expert for the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium), as reviewer for New research project proposal.

2012-2015 Member of the selection committe for the « Prix Victor and Hélène Barbour » in literary and aesthetical critique, Faculté des Lettres of the University of Geneva.

2011 Scientific expert for the Agence Nationale de Recherche (France), in the frame of the Program Sociétés Innovantes. Innovation, économie, modes de vie.

Since 2011 Member of the international scientific committee of the Grand Prix de l’Urbanisme (Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development, France).

2010-2012 Member of the Swiss Committee Europan; President of Scientific Selection committe of Europan 10, Swiss section, Inventer l’urbanité, Concours européen de projets innovants.

2008-2009 Member of the Scientific Committee for the international research-development program « Grand Pari de l’Agglomération Parisienne », French Ministry of Culture and Communication.

2004-2009 Scientific expert for the French Ministry of Culture and Communication (DAPA-BRAUP) in the frame of the interdisciplinary research programs « L’architecture de la grande échelle » and « Art Architecture Paysage ».

Member of the International Editorial Boards of Cahiers de la recherche architecturale, urbaine et paysagère (since 2017), the series Landscripts, Institute of Landscape Architecture, ETHZ-Jovis Publisher, Berlin (since 2012), of the journal Les Carnets du Paysage, Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Paysage, Versailles et Marseille (since 2010). Finally, I am Associate Publisher of the publishing house Metispresses in Geneva and Director of the series “vuesDensemble” and “vuesDensembleEssai” (since 2008).

9. Active memberships in scientific societies, fellowships in renowned academies

Since 2015 President of the Board of the Fondation Braillard Architectes, Geneva; member of the Board since 2010.
2010-2012 Member of the Board of Utopiana, interdisciplinary artistic plateform, Geneva.
2000-2002 Member of the European Association of Urban History.

10. Organised conferences

I have regularly been a member of Scientific Committee of national and international scientific conferences and symposia, such as: International PhD Seminar U&U Urbanism & Urbanisation (XIX-2018, and VIII-2015), Journées Biennales des Géosciences de l’Environnement de l’UNIL (2018), International Symposium Latsis 2015 (2015), and, before, ERAU European Symposium on Research in Architecture, Urban and Landscape Design (2005), and European Association of Urban History (2002 and 2000).

11. Prizes, fellowships, distinguished membership

1991–1992 Swiss confederation Fellowship at the University of Geneva. Grant of the Swiss Confederation – Conseil de l'Europe.