Philippe Rahm | Philippe Rahm Architectes

THE ANTHROPOCENE STYLE / TOWARD A CLIMATIC DESIGN

At the interface of architecture, aesthetics and engineering, the Anthropocene Style calls for a return to the practical uses of interior decoration that were widespread before the 20th century. In the wake of fossil fuel–driven modernity, the efficiency of heating and air conditioning eclipsed the indoor climate–regulating functions of carpets, tapestries, curtains, mirrors and folding screens, relegating them to merely symbolic or aesthetic roles. However, given the urgent need in the Anthropocene epoch to reduce our energy consumption and CO₂ emissions and stave off increasingly frequent and intense heat waves, we would be well advised to take advantage of the thermal value of decorative art again and reboot interior design, the spatial, formal and material configurations of our homes, with a view to optimizing climate-regulating performance. We call this 21st century functional and decorative aesthetic ‘the Anthropocene Style’. 
 

ABOUT PHILIPPE RAHM

Philippe Rahm is a Swiss architect with a degree from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and a doctorate from the Université de Paris-Saclay, whose practice of PHILIPPE RAHM ARCHITECTES is based in Paris. His work, from the physiological to the meteorological, has received an international audience in the context of sustainability. His projects include the Taichung Central Park in Taiwan, inaugurated in 2020 (with Mosbach paysagistes). In 2023, he authored the books Histoire naturelle de l’architecture, Climatic architecture and The Anthropocene Style. He has taught at Harvard, Princeton and Columbia universities, HEAD – Geneva and ENSA Versailles. He has taken part in numerous biennials, including those in Venice (2025), Tbilisi (2024), Madrid (2024), Chicago (2023) or Tallinn (2022). In 2025, he is co-curator of the Île-de-France and Saint-Etienne biennales. He is a knight of the Monaco Order of Cultural Merit and has been awarded the Silver Medal of the French Academy of Architecture. 

All images and photos courtesy of Philippe Rahm Architectes