Prof. Dr Philippe BLOCK

Prof. Dr Philippe Block is a full professor at the Institute of Technology in Architecture (ITA) at ETH Zurich, where he leads the Block Research Group (BRG) with Dr. Tom Van Mele and is Head of the Institute. Philippe is also Director of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) in Digital Fabrication.

The Block Research Group at ETH Zurich develops novel design and engineering approaches for efficient structural form and proposes new and economical construction approaches. To address the grand challenges posed by climate change, the group’s research and built prototypes strive the motto “strength through geometry” to reduce embodied greenhouse gas emissions and utilise fewer first-use resources. To minimise construction waste and increase labour productivity, the group develops innovative bespoke prefabrication strategies and novel construction paradigms. Drawing from a revival of forgotten principles combined with the latest advances in the design, engineering, fabrication and construction of doubly-curved shell structures, recent built projects and demonstrators have included the unreinforced stone Armadillo Vault, the thin, flexibly formed concrete shells of the NEST HiLo Unit and KnitCandela, and the 3D-concrete-printed masonry bridge Striatus.

Publications

Prof. Dr Philippe Block's publications can be viewed here.  

Awards

• Robert Garland Treseder Fellowship, Melbourne School of Design
• VUB Fellowship in Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Rössler Prize, ETH Foundation
• Berlin Art Prize - Architecture (Baukunst), Akademie der Künste, Germany
  

Education

• 2009: Doctor of Philosophy, Architecture: Building Technology – Structures, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• 2005: Master of Science, Architecture: Design and Computation (MIT)
• 2003: Master of Science, Civil Engineering – Architecture, Vrije Universiteit Brussel