Jean Souviron

Jean Souviron is an architect (ENSA Paris-Est, 2013), a civil engineer (ENPC, 2016) and holds a Ph.D. in architecture and urban planning (Université libre de Bruxelles, 2022). He is an associate professor and director of the Architecture of the Planetary Boundaries postgraduate programme.

Jean is also involved in undergraduate and graduate programmes, where his teaching focuses on the technologies, physical mechanisms, and social practices that shape indoor environments, with a broader perspective on climate and ecological issues. These themes are also central to his research, which explores 20th-century construction techniques and the ways in which they have shaped the relationship between societies and their environments, particularly in terms of comfort expectations. His work examines the ecological, social, and architectural impacts of energy and industrial policies by tracing the trajectories of building materials and products such as insulating glass. His approach brings together architectural and technological history, engineering sciences, and the environmental humanities.

Jean is a member of the OCS (ENSA Paris-Est research laboratory) and an Early-Career Fellow at the Collegium Helveticum in Zurich, where he conducts research in collaboration with the Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture (gta) and the Chair of Sustainable Construction at ETHZ. He is also a member of the editorial board of Les Cahiers: Journal for the Study of Architecture, Urbanism and Landscape.

Before joining ENSA Paris-Est, Jean taught at the Université libre de Bruxelles (2018–2022) and at ENSA Paris-Belleville (2022–2024). He was also an associate member of the Environmental Authority of Île-de-France (2022–2024), and co-curated, with Raphaël Ménard, the Énergies légères exhibition at the Pavillon de l’Arsenal (November 2023 – March 2024).

As an architect and engineer, he was involved in landscape and architectural design at Bureau Bas Smets (2012), as well as façade engineering and bioclimatic design at Transsolar, Leicht, and Elioth (2015–2017). He also worked independently, notably with Atelier Julien Boidot on the renovation and extension of a school in Guécélard, which received the RIBA International Award for Excellence.