HEAD at the Saint-Étienne International Design Biennale
May 22nd – July 6th, 2025
Cité du design – Esadse
3 rue Javelin Pagnon
42000 Saint-Étienne
Climate Design invites a rediscovery of the practical role of interior decoration, forgotten since the era of fossil fuels (heating, air conditioning, electric lighting). Until the early 20th century, decorating also meant protecting oneself from the cold and drafts.
This approach rethinks the thermal value of decorative art: convection, conduction, emissivity, materials…
"Emmobilier," a blend of real estate and furniture, becomes a lever for climate performance.
This project was carried out with the participation of Interior Architecture students from HEAD – Genève, who explored these issues through applied research and design proposals, questioning the interactions between space, material and climate from a contemporary perspective.
Under the direction of:
Philippe Rahm
Doctor of Architecture and graduate of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Philippe Rahm founded his practice in Paris in 2008. His work and research extend the field of architecture into climatic and physiological knowledge. Drawing on historical theories, he develops contemporary solutions in which reality and its climatic parameters (light, air circulation, temperature, humidity, water, etc.) once again become fundamental elements of construction and urban planning, thus contributing to CO2 reduction and improved comfort.
He is the author of three books published in 2023: Histoire naturelle de l’architecture (Éditions Points), Le style anthropocène (HEAD Publishing), and Climatic Architecture (Actar).
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