Name Francois Roche Organizations founded R&Sie(n) | Role Architect | |
François Roche Interview
Francois Roche (born 1961, Paris) is a French architect, co-founder of the architecture studio, New-Territories including R&Sie(n), Mindmachinemakingmyths, among others names.
Contents
- Franois Roche Interview
- Fiction contre utopie une architecture en mouvement de Franois Roche par Pierre Bourdareau
- Biography
- Monographs
- Three apparatuses
- Guest professor position
- Selection of exhibitions
- References
"Fiction contre utopie : une architecture en mouvement de François Roche" par Pierre Bourdareau
Biography

He studied in Chalon-sur-Saone, and afterward entered scientific preparatory school in Lyon. He left that school prior to graduating, and enrolled at the school of architecture of Versailles. He graduated from this school in 1988.

In 1989 he co-founded an organization, R&Sie(n), with architects Stephanie Lavaux and Jean Navarro. The sub-names have changed several times between 1989 and now: BoyeRoche (1989); Roche (1990); Roche & Francois (1991); Roche, Francois, Lewis, Huber, Roubaud, Perrin (1992); Roche, DSV & Sie (1993–97); R, DSV & Sie. P (1998); R & Sie. D/B: L (1999–2001); R&Sie(n) (2001 to present), adding a new one, titled [eIf/bvt/c] since 2011. This transformation of his firm name over time serves to illustrate its hybrid character, to destabilize the figure of the architect and appear, according to french critic "iconoclast"

New-Territories is fronted by an avatar and Roche has been secretive about his appearance, refusing to be photographed. However, in 2011 he suggested the avatar would be 'suicided' but it seems that this one refused the deal. New-territories closed the office in Paris en 2011 and moved in Asia, Thailand.
Today Francois Roche is developing at the same time an apparatus of research “new-territories” including several labels, a production structure, via R&Sie (n) to develop and fabricate simultaneously architecture fragments and movies, and 'M4/mindmachinemakingmyths' a robotic fab LAB in Bangkok. He was Visiting Professor at Columbia-Gsapp, New York, 2006–13, leading one of the "advanced studio". He has been a Visiting Professor at RMIT, Upenn, Michigan, among other places.
From 1991 to 1994, Francois Roche took an active part in the newspaper Purple Prose, as an associate writer. A rebound of the Liberation newspaper entitled “the city died” in 1994 will come to enclose this period.
In 1993 the French Institute of Architecture offered him the possibility of unfolding the whole of its first experiments under the title “Action, March 93” which would give an account of twenty of his projects. A monographic work was to be published, now sold out “The shade of the chameleon”.
The name R&Sie (n) is resulting from the contraction of the group, but it also refers to RSI, the event "Real, Symbolic, Imaginary" of Jacques Lacan in 1972. The pronunciation “heresy” which seems completely fortuitous, launched by Bruce Sterling via its Wired review in 2006, finishes by him (their) sticking to the skin.
New-Territories has been invited in multiple sessions of Biennial of Architecture of Venice, in 1991, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014, both in French pavilion (3 times) and international selection (5 times). Their works are actually visible at the First Biennial of Architecture of Chicago
This architect is associated:
Francois Roche is the guest editor of LOG#25, NY Critic Revue, issue released in July 2012 / title Reclaim Resi(lience)stance.
Monographs
Three apparatuses
His works are organized on three sets of themes / 1° Research as Speculation, 2° Fiction as Practice, 3° Practice as Lifespan (H&N)