Ethos

 
dECOi is a small architectural/design practice that looks to opening the boundaries of conventional practice by a fresh and exploratory approach to design. We are flexible, efficient, and high-quality, and have a keen interest in developing new technological practices. We continually look to developing creative partnerships with people in other domains, and have a network of research affiliates (mathematicians, programmers, etc) whose skills we deploy according to the project. Our reputation is for sophisticated design work which we are committed to achieving consistently. We take every design project as a fresh challenge and work imaginatively within the given constraints to achieve something exceptional.

Significantly, such work was presented under the rubric ‘dECOi’, which was intended to allow for possibility of collaborative practice, and which has latterly become essential to a digitally-networked creative enterprise.

dECOi’s portfolio ranges from pure design and artwork through interior design to architecture and urbanism, and at every scale their work has received acclaim. They have been awarded numerous commissions for artworks / sculptures, and have taken on a small but significant number of architectural projects which begin to give a distinct professional outline to the group. The practice has developed carefully and consistently, focussing on a small number of high-quality international projects. This has been reinforced by numerous publications, international lectures and conferences, and frequent guest-professorships, including a design unit at the renowned Architectural Association in London and the École Speciale in Paris.

Based in Paris and London, dECOi has developed a supple working practice to be able to bring its design skill to bear effectively in an international arena. This has resulted in a high level of technical expertise, a fully computerized working practice and an extensive network of affiliations with engineering support groups in Europe and Asia such as Ove Arup (London) and Rice Francis Ritchie (Paris). This has extended to collaboration with Foster & Partners to offer creative technical input to various of their projects.

dECOi has received awards from the Royal Academy in London, the French Ministry of Culture and the Architectural League of New York, and has represented France at the Venice Biennale and the United Nations. They were selected by the Architects Design journal in its international survey of thirty ‘Emerging Voices’ at the RIBA in London, and were awarded second place in the BD ‘Young Architect of the Year’ Competition, 1999. dECOi was invited to exhibit in the International Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2000, and to exhibit 10 years of work at FRAC in Orleans. Most recently they were awarded the prestigious international FEIDAD Digital Design Award 2001, and invited to the ‘Architecture of the Non-Standard’ manifesto at the Centre Pompidou in Paris 2003.

Mark Goulthorpe has been invited to take a professorship at MIT, divided between the school of architecture and the Media Lab. A book of dECOi’s Architecture is forthcoming from Hyx Publications/FRAC (Centre Pompidou).

DISTINCTIONS / AWARDS

2002 Venice Biennale The French Pavilion, Venice, Italy 2001 Sharing Technology Award Design Council, UK 2000 Venice Biennale The International Pavilion, Venice, ITALY
2000 Technology Innovation Award NESTA, London, UK
1999 Young Architect of the Year Award Second Prize , BD Journal / British Steel
1996 Venice Biennale ‘le Bloc Fracturee’ The French Pavilion, Venice, ITALY
1996 Architects on the Horizon AD Journal / RIBA, London, UK
1993 Les Albums de la Jeune Architecture French Ministry of Culture, Paris, FRANCE
1993 Young Architects Forum Architectural League of New York, USA
1991 Royal Academy Award Royal Academy, London, UK

DESIGN COMPETITIONS AWARDS

2001 FEIDAD International Digital Design Competition First Prize, Taiwan
1999 Gateway to the South Bank Competition Second (Peoples’) Prize, London UK
1999 Birmingham Hippodrome Interactive Art Competition First Prize, Birmingham UK
1995 NARA/TOTO World Architecture Triennale First Prize, Tokyo, JAPAN
1994 Glasgow Tower Competition Commendation, Glasgow, SCOTLAND
1993 La Casa piu’ Bella del Mondo Second Prize: ‘jANUS House’, Milan, ITALY
1992 NARA/TOTO World Architecture Triennale Third Prize: Tokyo, JAPAN
1991 Another Glass House Competition First Prize : New York, USA
1991 EUROPAN II Housing Competition First Prize: Rhodes, GREECE

PROJECTS

2002 Bankside Appartment Addition of a penthouse to the top of a tower South Bank, London
2001 Haddad Appartment Refurbishment of a Two Storey Apartment and Garden Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France
2000 Dietrich House Refurbishment of a Four-Storey Townhouse for the Architectural Editor of Thames & Hudson Islington, London, UK
1999 Blue Gallery Design of a Contemporary Art Gallery Spitalfields, London, UK
1999 Luschwitz House Refurbishment of a Three Storey Townhouse Chelsea, London, UK
1998 Gateshead Regional Music Centre Technical / Design Studies for Foster & Partners Gateshead Tyneside UK
1998 Swiss Re Headquarters Technical / Design Studies for Foster & Partners Baltic Exchange Site, London, UK
1997 Balai Taal Retreat 26 Luxury Villas in the Caldera of Taal Volcano Tagaytay-Taal, Philippines
1997 Yat Lye Showroom Luxury Showroom of Homeware Centrepoint, Singapore
1996 Pallas House Single-Family House (R&D mandate) Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
1996 Missoni Showroom Showroom for the Italian Fashion Company Paris, FRANCE
1996 Ghafar Appartment Refurbishment of a 100m2 Appartment Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
1995 Staffield Retreat 22 Ecological Villas in a Rubber Plantation Seramban, MALAYSIA
1995 Chan (Origin) House Single Family House of 1000m2 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA

ART / RESEARCH WORKS

2002 Travelling Skateboard Exhibition Mathematic / Parametric Smart-Mold Interface The British Council, UK
2001 Excideuil Folly Parametric 3d Spatial Glyphting Excideuil, FRANCE
2000 Aegis Hyposurface Dynamically Reconfigurable Interactive Architectural Surface Birmingham, UK
1998 Hystera Protera Graphic Design / Art Work Public Art Commissions Agency, UK
1998 Schlaff Apnia Stage Designs for ‘Sleepers Guts’ William Forsythe, Frankfurt Ballet, GERMANY
1997 Morphe CD-ROM ‘Smectic State’ Exhibition RMIT / Curve Gallery, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
1995 Ether/I 50th Anniversary of the United Nations Exhibition Palais des Nations, Geneva, SWITZERLAND
1993 In the Shadow of Ledoux ‘Application / Implication’ Exhibition le Magasin CNAC, Grenoble, FRANCE

EXHIBITIONS

2002-3 Latent Utopias (Zaha Hadid, curator) Graz, Vienna
2003 The Venice Biennale le Pavilon Francais
2001 British Council: Space Invaders Lisbon, PORTUGAL (Traveling Exhibition)
2001 Lisbon Utopia Cascais, Lisbon, PORTUGAL
2001 Archilab 2001, Frac Orleans, FRANCE
2001 Folds, Blobs + Boxes: Architecture in the Digital Era Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, USA
2001 dECOi Architect(e)s Frac Centre, Orleans, FRANCE
2000 Venice Biennale: More Ethics, Less Aesthetics International Pavilion, Venice, ITALY
1999 The Bauhaus Millenium Exhibition Bauhaus-Weimar, GERMANY
1999 University of Ljubljana (dECOi/Kovac) Ljubljana , SLOVENIA
1999 Archilab, Frac Orleans, FRANCE
1999 Buenos Aires Biennale Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA 1998 AnyTime Ankara, TURKEY
1998 TransArchitectures Brussels, Berlin, New York, Tokyo
1998 Smectic State Curve Gallery, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
1995 Eidetic Images Architectural Association, London, UK
1994 2020 Architecture Forum Liverpool, UK
1993 False Impressions Magers / Heztler Galleries, Koln, GERMANY

PUBLICATIONS

(selected)

Forthcoming dECOi Book to accompany the Smectic State Exhibition at FRAC, Orleans, FRANCE Hyx Publications, 110 Pages, Paris, FRANCE
Forthcoming AD (Architectural Design) ‘The Poetics of Space’ ‘Digital Nesting’ (Blue Gallery, Aegis)
Forthcoming Arch+ ‘dECOi architectes’ (various projects) Berlin, Germany (German/English)
Forthcoming Trans-Arts.Cultures.Media ‘dECOi architectes’ (various projects) New York (English)
2002 Designing for a Digital World Book by Wiley-Academy Editions Edited by Neil Leach
02.2002 Spazio Architettura ‘dECOi architectes’ (various projects) Switzerland (English/French/Italian)
03.2002 Architektura Murator ‘Architectura Intelligenzia’ Moscow, Russia (Russian/English)
2002 Biomorphic Architecture (Ether/I) Gunther Feuerstein, Edition Axel Menges, Stuttgart/London
10.2001 AMC ‘dECOi architectes: Aegis Hypo-Surface’ Paris (French)
06.2001 Archis Berlin Beta Summary (Aegis Hypo-Surface)
2001 ZOO dECOi architectes (Aegis Hypo-Surface) Purple House, London, UK (English)
2001 AD (Architectural Design) Animation Issue dECOi architectes (various projects)
2001 A+U #370 ‘dECOi architectes: Aegis Hypo-Surface’ Tokyo, Japan (Japanese/English)
2001 ArchiLab 2001 Catalogue ‘dECOi Architects’ (Dietrich House) Editions Hyx, Paris, France (French/English)
2001 Folds, Blobs + Boxes dECOi architectes (Dietrich House) Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, USA (English)
2001 Parpaings #19 ‘Artistes et Architectes’ (Blue Gallery) Rouen, France (French)
2000 10×10 dECOi architectes (various projects) Phaidon, London, UK (English)
2000 Hypersurface 2 ‘Aegis Hypo-surface: Autoplastic to Alloplastic’ (Aegis) Architectural Design, London, UK (English)
2000 Expose France ‘La Maison vol 2′ (Glasshouse, jANUS, Pallas, Chan houses…) Editions Hyx, Paris, France (French)
2000 AnyMore ‘Anymore Technology’ (Luschwitz, Gateshead, Paramorph, Aegis) Anyone Corporation, New York, USA (English)
02.2000 Le Moniteur Architecture ‘dECOi Architects’ (various projects) Paris, France (French)
01.2000 Domus ‘Paramorph, Gateway to the South Bank’ Milan, Italy (Italian/English)
12.1999 Catalogue of the Buenos Aires Biennale ‘Varius, Multiplex, Multiformis: Jovenes Arquitectos Europeos’ Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Spanish/English)
11.1999 Hybrid Surface ‘dECOi architectes’ (various projects) Thames & Hudson, London, UK (English)
10.1999 A+U #349 ‘Technic Praxis’ (Gateshead, Bremner, Pallas, Aegis, Paramorph) Tokyo, Japan (Japanese/English)
09.1999 Space Design #382 Decora(c)tion: from Smectics to Hyster(a)ics (various projects) Seoul, Korea (English/Korean)
1999 UME #9 ‘Decoi and Objectile Pallas House’ (Pallas House) UME, Melbourne, Australia (English)
04.1999 AnyTime ‘Hystera Protera’ (Hystera Protera) Anyone Corporation, New York, USA (English)
04.1999 ArchiLab Catalogue ‘dECOi Architects’ (various projects) Editions Hyx, Paris, France (French/English)
02.1999 BD Magazine Young Architect of the Year Issue: DECOi Architects Building Design, London, UK (English)
01.1999 AD (Architectural Design) ‘Des Res’ (Glasshouse, jANUS, Pallas) London, UK (English)
1998 Nouvelles de Danse #36/37 ‘William Forsythe et une Architecture de la Disparition’ (Ether/I) Contredanse, Brussels, Belgium (French)
12.1998 AA Files #37 ‘The Active Inert: Notes on Technic Praxis’ (Ledoux, Pallas, Ether/I, Hystera Protera) London, UK (English)
1998 The Art of the Accident ‘dECOi: Hystera Protera’ NAI Publishers/V2 Organization (English)
08.1998 Surface Edge ‘Cutting-Edge Pacific Architecture’ (Pallas, ECO Taal) Thames & Hudson, London, UK (English)
06.1998 PACA Catalogue UK ‘Public Art Commissions Agency 10-year Book’ 06.1998 Monument ‘Archizoom’ (interview) Australia (English)
06.1997 ANY #18 ‘Public Fear’ (Pallas House) New York, USA (English)
10.1996 A+U #313 ‘dECOi Architects’ (Ledoux, Ether/I, Schlaff Apnia) Tokyo, Japan (Japanese/English)
08.1996 AD (Architectural Design) ‘Architects on the Horizon: dECOi’ (Ether/I, Staffield, Prosthesite) London, UK (English)
07.1996 Catalogue of the Venice Biennale France ‘Le Bloc Fracturee’ (Ledoux, jANUS, Glasshouse) Editions Hyx, Paris, France (French)
03.1996 World Architecture #44 ‘dECOi – Portrait’ (Ledoux, Glasshouse, jANUS, Ether/I) London, UK (English)
02.1996 Blueprint #15 ‘Visible Cities’ (False Impressions) London, UK (English)
1995 Interstices #2 ‘dECOi Architects’ (Reykjavik, Ledoux) New Zealand (English)
10.1994 Techniques et Architectures #416 ‘Jeunes Architectes – dECOi (manifeste)’ Paris, France (French)
09.1994 A+W #159 ‘Single Family Houses’ (jANUS House) Germany (German/English)
10.1993 MODO #152 ‘ Lo Spazio Privato…’ (jANUS, Glasshouse) Milan, Italy (Italian)
11.1993 d’Architectures #40 ‘La jeune architecture en albums’ (Review) Paris, France (French)
08.1993 Techniques et Architectures #409 ‘Echanges Europeen – dECOi’ (Review) Paris, France (French)
1992 Tefchos #10 Europan 2 Catalogue (Rhodes Housing)
07.1992 de Architect #10 ‘Application & Implication’ (Ledoux)

LECTURES

03.2002 Scott Points Pennsylvania State University, USA ‘Designing and Manufacturing Architecture in a Digital Age’ Symposium
03.2002 Scott Points Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
01.2002 Paramorph ESARQ, Barcelona, SPAIN
11.2001 Digital Nesting The Bartlett School of Architecture, London, UK
10.2001 Digital Nesting The Architectural Association, London, UK
09.2001 Digital Nesting Keynote Speaker 1000 Plateaux Lisbon Biennale, PORTUGAL
09.2001 Paramorph Space Invaders Conference, British Councl, Lisbon, Portugal
08.2001 Reality Shift Berlin Beta Conference, Berlin, GERMANY
07.2001 Mathemes and Borromean Knots: a Lacanian deconstruction Mathematics and Design Conference Deakin University, AUSTRALIA
06.2001 Autoplastic to Alloplastic Digital Futures Symposium, RIBA, London, UK
05.2001 Radio France Interview Metropolitaines with Francois Chaslin, Paris, FRANCE
04.2001 Aegis Hyposurface le Pavilon d’Arsenale, Paris, FRANCE
04.2001 From Autoplastic to Alloplastic Delft Scool of Architecture, Netherlands
10.2000 Humanizing the Digital Positions Architecture Conference Intitute of Contemporary Art, London, UK
03.2000 Hyposurface Ecole Speciale d’Architecture, Paris, FRANCE
12.1999 DECOI Architect(e)s Bauhaus-Weimar, GERMANY
11.1999 From Autoplastic to Alloplastic Barcelona, SPAIN
09.1999 Wools of New Zealand International Architecture Conference Wellington, NEW ZEALAND & Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
08.1999 ‘Speculum on Technic Praxis’ Architect’s Institute of South Africa University of Capetown, SOUTH AFRICA
07.1999 ‘Speculum on Technic Praxis’ Allomorphe Architecture & Technology Design Conference University of Deakin, Geelong, AUSTRALIA
07.1999 ‘Technic Praxis’ University of Kassel, GERMANY
06.1999 AnyMore Technology? AnyMore Conference IFA Paris, FRANCE
04.1999 ‘Allomorphe’ University of Ljubljana, SLOVENIA
04.1999 ArchiLab Conference FRAC, Orleans, FRANCE
11.1998 ‘Sensorium Shift’ University of Kassel, GERMANY
10.1998 ‘Smectic State’ The Bartlett School of Architecture London, UK
10.1998 ‘Techne 3′ Columbia University, New York, USA
10.1998 ‘Techne 3′ Renesslaer School of Architecture, Albany, USA
09.1998 ‘dECOi Architects – Current Work’ Chinese University of Hong Kong
07.1998 ‘Beginnings’ AnyTime Conference Ankara, TURKEY
06.1998 ‘Engineering Challenges of the Second Machine Age’ Ove Arup & Partners London, UK
05.1998 ‘Engineering Challenges of the Second Machine Age’ Rice, Francis, Ritchie Paris, FRANCE
04.1998 ‘Hystera Protera’ RMIT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
04.1998 ‘Smectic State’ University of Sydney Sydney, AUSTRALIA
12.1997 ‘Seeding Clouds’ / dECOi architects University of Wellington London, UK
07.1997 ‘dECOi architects’ (with Tom Kovac) Sydney Chapter of Architects AUSTRALIA
07.1997 ‘This Form which is not One’ Morphe Conference Deakin, AUSTRALIA
07.1997 ‘Deconstructing Practice’ Universite de Paris Villemin Paris, FRANCE
04.1997 ‘La Maison – Rencontre-Debat’ Centre Georges Pompidou Paris, FRANCE
05.1995 ‘An Architecture of Disappearence’ The Architectural Association London, UK
09.1994 ‘Deconstructing Practice’ l’Ecole des Beaux Arts Paris, FRANCE
04.1994 ‘Atheist, Orphan, Nomads’ 2020 Conference Liverpool, UK
02.1994 ‘Atheist, Orphan, Nomads’ The University of Versailles Paris, FRANCE
08.1993 ‘Young Architects Forum’ The Architectural League of New York USA