Philippe Madec
Philippe Madec is an architect, urban planner, professor at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Rennes and research director.
Long involved in the eco-responsible approach to the construction of housing, Philippe Madec's work is characterised by a strong interweaving of architectural and urban planning practices on the one hand and theoretical production on the other. He is notably known for the creation of buildings equipped with natural ventilation systems and for his "Manifesto for happy frugality in architecture and urban and rural planning" (“Manifeste pour une frugalité heureuse en architecture et aménagement des territoires urbains et ruraux”) written in 2018 with Dominique Gauzin-Muller and Alain Bornarel. This manifesto claims the need to develop bioclimatic design, low technology, energy and material sobriety, the use of local renewable and low-impact resources, as well as the development of local industries and know-how.
Philippe Madec has held numerous posts in French and international institutions. In particular, he was one of the experts chosen by the UN for the preparation of the Habitat III summit in Quito (2015-2016), a member of the PUCA scientific council (1990-2008) and a member of the French Conseil National des Villes et Territoires d'Art et d'Histoire (2005-2014). He is currently a member of the European Chapter of the Club of Rome, an expert for the Grenelle de l'Environnement and a member of the organising committee of the ENSA-Eco network (national higher education architecture institutions committed to ecological transition). In 2008, he was named Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur for ecology and in 2012 he received the prestigious Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.
Philippe Madec is also a writer: he has published a number of articles and books on art, architecture, landscape, urbanism, architectural theory and pedagogy. His ambition is to rethink the societal and even political role of architects, while demonstrating the importance and strength of alliances with all the actors involved in the construction of living spaces.
