Aziza Chaouni appointed Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at EPFL Architecture, Fribourg; leads SONO Lab in Fribourg

Appointment of Professor Aziza Chaouni - EPFL

Appointment of Professor Aziza Chaouni

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Portait of Aziza Chouani, photo: World Monuments Fund (WMF)

Appointment of Aziza Chaouni as Tenure-Track Assistant Professor. An American-Moroccan architect and civil engineer committed to issues of sustainability and conservation, she is joining EPFL Architecture and will head the SONO Lab (South–North Laboratory for Sustainable Construction and Conservation) in Fribourg.

Aziza Chaouni is an American-Moroccan architect, civil engineer, researcher, and educator, regarded as a leading expert in sustainable architecture and design across the Global South, particularly in regions with limited resources and challenging environmental conditions. She holds a MArch with Distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a BSc, Cum Laude, from Columbia University, and has taught at both Harvard University and the University of Toronto.

At the University of Toronto, she has offered courses and led multi-year applied research projects focusing on collaborative ecotourism masterplans and architectural design in arid regions in Jordan, Australia and Morocco, working with a wide array of stakeholders including nomadic tribes, local authorities, international funding bodies and NGOs. She has also received and completed grants from the Getty Foundation and the World Monuments Funds to document and restore heritage buildings in West Africa.

Through her award-winning practice,Aziza Chaouni Projects, she leads design initiatives across Africa and the Middle East, integrating material innovation, adaptive reuse, and socially engaged approaches to create architecture that is both environmentally responsible and culturally meaningful. Her research and practice focus on cost-effective, thermally efficient construction methods and the adaptive reuse of modern heritage buildings in Africa.

Her work has received numerous awards and has been exhibited internationally, including at the Louisiana Museum, the Guggenheim, major architecture biennales, and in leading journals. She is also the author and editor of several books, includingOut of Water: Design Solutions for Arid Regions(Birkhäuser, 2014

2015),Ecotourism, Nature Conservation and Development: Re‑imagining Jordan’s Shobak Arid Region(Birkhäuser, 2014), andModern Heritage Under Pressure: Perspectives from the Global South(John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Research and Teaching at EPFL

At EPFL, Prof. Aziza Chaouni’s research through SONO Lab will explore the intersection of sustainable construction, material innovation, and heritage rehabilitation, with a particular focus on Africa and the Global South. The lab investigates low-carbon construction systems, bio- and geo-sourced materials, and climate-adaptive design strategies, while fostering knowledge transfer between South and North contexts.

Her teaching will center on sustainable construction in relation to climate change adaptation, with a strong emphasis on learning from resource-efficient and climate-responsive strategies developed in the Global South and examining how these approaches can inform Swiss and European practices. She will also teach courses and a project studio focused on the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of architectural heritage on the African continent, integrating real-world case studies into research-led design pedagogy.

All Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering | ENAC news

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Aziza Chaouni to EPFL Architecture. Currently Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Canada, she has been appointed Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Construction in the Inwstitute of Architecture and the City, part of the ENAC Faculty. At EPFL, she will lead theSONO Lab(South–North Lab for Sustainable Construction and Conservation) at theSmart Living Labin Fribourg.Aziza Chaouni is an American-Moroccan architect, civil engineer, researcher, and educator, regarded as a leading expert in sustainable architecture and design across the Global South, particularly in regions with limited resources and challenging environmental conditions. She holds a MArch with Distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a BSc, Cum Laude, from Columbia University, and has taught at both Harvard University and the University of Toronto.At the University of Toronto, she has offered courses and led multi-year applied research projects focusing on collaborative ecotourism masterplans and architectural design in arid regions in Jordan, Australia and Morocco, working with a wide array of stakeholders including nomadic tribes, local authorities, international funding bodies and NGOs. She has also received and completed grants from the Getty Foundation and the World Monuments Funds to document and restore heritage buildings in West Africa.Through her award-winning practice,Aziza Chaouni Projects, she leads design initiatives across Africa and the Middle East, integrating material innovation, adaptive reuse, and socially engaged approaches to create architecture that is both environmentally responsible and culturally meaningful. Her research and practice focus on cost-effective, thermally efficient construction methods and the adaptive reuse of modern heritage buildings in Africa.Her work has received numerous awards and has been exhibited internationally, including at the Louisiana Museum, the Guggenheim, major architecture biennales, and in leading journals. She is also the author and editor of several books, includingOut of Water: Design Solutions for Arid Regions(Birkhäuser, 2014

Getty Foundation, 2023).‎Research and Teaching at EPFLAt EPFL, Prof. Aziza Chaouni’s research through SONO Lab will explore the intersection of sustainable construction, material innovation, and heritage rehabilitation, with a particular focus on Africa and the Global South. The lab investigates low-carbon construction systems, bio- and geo-sourced materials, and climate-adaptive design strategies, while fostering knowledge transfer between South and North contexts.Her teaching will center on sustainable construction in relation to climate change adaptation, with a strong emphasis on learning from resource-efficient and climate-responsive strategies developed in the Global South and examining how these approaches can inform Swiss and European practices. She will also teach courses and a project studio focused on the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of architectural heritage on the African continent, integrating real-world case studies into research-led design pedagogy.

Sidi Harazem Masterplan: Phased plan for the adaptive reuse, ph: Andreea Muscurel

Sidi Harazem Thermal Bath Complex buildings, by Jean-Francois Zevaco, 1960’s, photo: Andreea Muscurel

“Modern Heritage Under Pressure: Perspectives from the Global South”, edited by Aziza Chaouni with Dana Salama

CICES project, Senegal, photo: Aziza Chouani