The programme is designed to accompany graduate architects and engineers in this exploration through an interdisciplinary curriculum that bridges engineering sciences, life and earth sciences, environmental humanities, and architectural history and theory. It builds on a long-standing partnership with the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC) and sustained exchanges with recognised institutions such as the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and the Chair of Sustainable Construction at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ). This network provides a unique framework for developing the scientific culture, technical knowledge and critical thinking necessary to integrate ecological considerations into architectural design and research.

Launched in 2013 by Jean-François Blassel under the name Post-Carbon Architecture, this programme builds on over a decade of experience and has gained international recognition. It prepares students for a critical and engaged practice in architectural studios, design offices, engineering firms, public institutions, local authorities and associations. Rooted in academic research, it also provides an ideal framework for developing a doctoral research project addressing environmental issues in architecture.

Programme’s Structure

After a first month dedicated to building a common foundation of fundamental knowledge, the programme consists of two teaching semesters (from October to February, then from March to June, representing a total of 900 hours of supervised teaching).

The Month of September
September is structured around an opening lecture, visits to energy infrastructures, a study trip, and two workshops:

Building With Earth (ENPC)

Coordinated by Xavier Chateau and Emmanuel Keita, this one‑week workshop introduces the issues, methods and tools involved in the design and construction of earth‑based structures through a series of lectures and hands‑on exercises. Conducted in collaboration with students from the ENPC Civil Engineering and Construction (GCC) programme, the workshop allows participants to explore different construction techniques before building a full‑scale structure.

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The Climate of Architecture

Coordinated by Florencia Collo, in collaboration with her associates from Atmos Lab (Rafael Alonso Candau and Olivier Dambron), this workshop takes place over two weeks. Working in groups, students conduct an in-depth investigation of a building’s energy system and its changing climate over the seasons. They learn the methods and tools (Ladybug Tools) needed for bioclimatic analysis and design, and experiment with different forms of representation to illustrate energy flows and the hygrothermal behaviour of an architecture depending on weather conditions and social practices.

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Several half‑day introductory sessions to digital tools are also organised during September, focusing in particular on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and on climate analysis and energy modelling tools using Grasshopper and the Ladybug toolset.

Weekly Seminars
During these two semesters, a multidisciplinary teaching team of recognised practitioners and researchers contributes weekly to the programme, sharing knowledge and engaging in discussion around five main thematic areas:

Thermodynamics of Buildings

Coordinated by Jean Souviron, architect, engineer and PhD in architecture, with contributions from Emmanuel Keita (ENPC), Salmaan Craig (UCLA), Kiel Moe, and Emanuel Bertrand (ESPCI).

This first-semester course aims to deepen students’ understanding of the fundamental laws and principles of heat transfer, thermodynamics and energy conversion. It combines different scales of analysis, from the behaviour of construction materials to that of buildings and the socio-economic structures in which they are embedded. It adopts a life-cycle approach to study the forms of energy and the ways in which they are used in the main industrial processes that supply the building sector. The course is punctuated by a series of presentations from French and international researchers and practitioners, providing a broad perspective on the opportunities offered by a good understanding of the thermodynamics of buildings in architectural practice and research.

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Production Chains and Territorial Ecology

Coordinated by Camille de Gaulmyn, architect, engineer and founder of degré·, with contributions from Claire Vernhes (Ensa Paris‑Est, MEAT).
This first‑semester course develops the knowledge and skills required to analyse the environmental footprint of architecture. It adopts a transversal, analytical and quantitative approach to the study of building metabolism at urban, territorial and global scales. By addressing the ecological challenges associated with the construction industry and its supply chains, the course opens a critical perspective on the interactions between architecture, territories, governance systems and the biosphere. It situates architecture within a territorial ecology defined by networks of actors mobilising material and energy flows, with particular attention paid to the trajectories of major construction materials from extraction to accumulation. The course also introduces the tools and methods used to quantify material and energy flows, complementing the Life Cycle Assessment course taught at ENPC.

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Knowledge and Practices of Repair

Coordinated by Pierre Dufour, Chief Architect for Historic Monuments and founder of Antoine Dufour Architectes, with contributions from Bérénice Gaussuin (Ensa Paris‑Malaquais) and Éric David (Amas architecture, Ensa Clermont‑Ferrand).
Spanning two semesters, this course deepens the knowledge required to intervene in existing buildings. It focuses in particular on climatic and hygrothermal issues through theoretical lectures, site visits and practical exercises. Students develop skills related to the diagnosis of existing buildings and to the use of measurement devices for assessing the energy performance of architectural elements. The course addresses techniques of repair, renovation and transformation, taking into account the durability of proposed solutions, their energy performance and their impact on thermal comfort. Contributions from architects, engineers and craftspeople enrich the programme through discussions of emblematic case studies.

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Architecture and its Ecosystems

Coordinated by Brian Padilla, ecologist at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) and member of the Île‑de‑France Environmental Authority.
Delivered during the second semester, this course provides essential knowledge for understanding how ecosystems function, how they are degraded by urbanisation and construction, and which conceptual, regulatory and practical tools can help limit these impacts. It introduces key notions related to biodiversity and ecological dynamics affected by artificialisation, fragmentation and building‑related disturbances. The course then examines relationships between architecture and living environments, biodiversity‑oriented design devices and their limitations, before addressing European and French legislative frameworks, environmental assessment methods and the use of ecological data. It concludes with a reflection on emerging paradigms likely to transform construction practices in relation to living systems.

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Ecology, Economics and Politics

Coordinated by Jean Souviron, with contributions from Maylis Desrousseaux, Julia Steinberger, François‑Mathieu Poupeau, Antonin Pottier, Bruno Villalba, Valérie Guillard and Léo Magnin.
This second‑semester course takes the form of a weekly seminar exploring the complex dynamics through which economics and politics shape societal responses to contemporary environmental issues. By examining interactions between actors, institutions and ideological frameworks, the course sheds light on the socio‑political and economic conditions underpinning collective and individual choices in the face of ongoing and future ecological upheavals. Structured as a series of masterclasses, the seminar brings together researchers from political science, ecological economics, political ecology, anthropology and environmental history, fostering cross‑disciplinary perspectives and critical debate.

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The long-standing partnership with ENPC enables students to take two complementary courses:

Life Cycle Assessment

Coordinated by Adélaide Feraille (ENPC).
As part of this weekly first-semester course, students join those of the Civil Engineering and Construction (GCC) programme at ENPC to develop skills in life cycle assessment (LCA) applied to materials, buildings and infrastructures. This methodology makes it possible to assess the ecological impact of different project scenarios using a multi-criteria and comparative approach that supports decision-making. Its use is becoming increasingly widespread in the construction sector, in connection with evolving regulatory requirements (notably RE2020) and the growing interest of clients and civil society in environmental issues. The course provides the foundations necessary to master the basic principles of LCA methods and calculations, enabling students, under the guidance of an experienced project manager, to carry out an assessment and critically analyse existing studies.

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Territorial and Urban Metabolism

Coordinated by Emmanuel Adler (ENPC, Leesu) and Barbara Redlingshöfer (Inrae), with contributions from Nelo Magalhaes (CNRS), Mathieu Maguet (Crieg) and Fabien Escullier (ENPC, Leesu).
Every Monday during the second semester, at ENPC, students join those from the Ville, Environnement et Transport (VET) department and the Amur postgraduate programme in urban planning and project management to attend this course dedicated to analysing the metabolism of contemporary societies. Its aim is to enable students to understand the flows generated by the development and operation of cities and territories, the ways in which these flows are managed (regulatory frameworks, standards, technical resources), and the levers available for action (techniques, actors). The programme addresses issues related to food metabolism and agriculture, the management of organic household waste and wastewater, and flows of construction materials.

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Finally, in the first semester, students can choose between two courses in history and environmental humanities:

Architecture and the Environment in the 20th Century

Coordinated by Paul Bouet (Ensa Paris-Est), with contributions from Jean Souviron (Ensa Paris-Est).
This course offers a rereading of the history of architecture over the past 150 years through the lens of environmental questions. It examines the relationships architecture has maintained with energy, climate, materials and living systems, and questions the contemporary relevance of these experiences. Its objective is to provide students with a cultural framework for understanding current environmental challenges. Starting from notions frequently mobilised in today’s debates, the course brings to light projects, figures and theories that have engaged with environmental issues over the last century and a half. These experiences are studied within their historical context, in relation to the forms of resistance they encountered, and are connected to more recent practices. The course addresses, among other topics, research into solar energy as a means of heating, devices developed to promote coolness in tropical and arid climates, bioclimatic approaches, the genealogy of materials such as stone, earth and plant fibres, the history of reuse practices, notions of regionalism and metabolism, and the relationships between microorganisms, plants and buildings. The perspective adopted is resolutely transdisciplinary and planetary.

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Environmental Humanities : An Introduction

Coordinated by Wolf Feuerhahn (CNRS, EHESS), Élise Demeulenaere (CNRS, EHESS) and Luc Semal (MNHN), with contributions from Xavier Arnauld de Sartre, Catherine Larrère, Valérie Boisvert, Anne-Claude Ambroise-Rendu, Anna Trespeuch-Berthelot and Francis Chateauraynaud.
Every Wednesday, ALP students join those from EHESS in the auditorium of the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN). This course provides a general introduction to work in the human and social sciences on the environment, offering an overview of the questions raised by research into the relationships between ‘nature’ and society. It includes a session devoted to the main categories used in the humanities and social sciences to designate the object under discussion (environment, nature, milieu, etc.), followed by sessions dedicated to different disciplinary approaches to the environment, including history, anthropology, political science, geography, philosophy, economics and sociology. While each of these disciplines has developed, often at its margins, a specialised field focusing on the study of society–environment interfaces, their unification within what is emerging as ‘environmental humanities’ remains incomplete. The course aims to provide students with a general culture of environmental humanities (intellectual history, major authors, scholarly debates) and is accompanied by bibliographical lists encouraging further reading.

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Architectural projects

In parallel, students collaborate on a group project based on real commissions from public institutions, research organizations, or private companies. These projects address real situations, allowing students to contextualize the teachings of the programme. Combining research and design, they focus on the transformation, renovation, and repair of the building stock. These architectural projects are structured around two main themes:

• Regenerative architecture, which explores architectural forms whose material regimes help strengthen the connection between the built environment and sustainable agricultural and forestry practices;
• The architecture of energy bifurcations, which examines the impact of climate change and decarbonisation policies on buildings, energy infrastructures, and ways of living.

Regular visits to the project sites enable an in-depth investigation, which forms the basis for a proposal to address the issues raised by local stakeholders and institutions. The final output consists of a report, models and an oral presentation.

These projects are supervised by Pierre Dufour (Antoine Dufour Architectes), Jean Souviron (Ensa Paris-Est) and Claire Vernhes (Ensa Paris-Est, MEAT), with contributions from Camille de Gaulmyn (degré·), Laureline Guilpain (Ville ouverte), Yohann Hubert (BC architects), Romain Mège (Patrimoine & Structure) and Emmanuelle Raoul-Duval (ROOM Architecture).

Research seminar

Every Tuesday, the research seminar welcomes scholars presenting their work and opens a space for discussion based on shared readings. Its objective is to familiarise students with different approaches to research in architecture and planning concerned with environmental issues, to acquire essential references in this field, and to practise the discussion of scientific work in order to develop reflexivity and critically test knowledge production.
Students conduct an original research investigation, presented in the form of an academic paper. Those wishing to pursue doctoral research benefit from specific supervision throughout the year, enabling them to refine a research topic, identify funding opportunities and establish contacts with laboratories and institutions likely to host their project. The close links between the postgraduate programme and research laboratories at Ensa Paris-Est (OCS), ENPC (Navier), Université Gustave Eiffel (Latts), ETH Zurich and Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) provide future doctoral candidates with privileged access to a network of researchers engaged in environmental research.
Coordinated by Paul Bouet and Jean Souviron, the seminar hosted, in 2025–2026, André Tavares, Sabine Barles and Rocio Calzado.

Thematic weeks

Five thematic weeks punctuate the academic year, bringing together the Ensa Paris-Est community and an external audience around a panel of French and international guests to explore five themes central to the programme:

Representing Architecture and its Ecosystems

Coordinated by Claire Vernhes (Ensa Paris-Est, MEAT), this thematic week explores modes of representation capable of accounting for the complex interweaving of materials, energy and species that characterise ecosystems and their dynamics across seasons in anthropised contexts. It questions both the visual heritage of architecture and the emergence of new representational approaches, considered from ecosystemic, climatic, thermal and (im)material perspectives. The challenge is twofold: to develop forms of knowledge useful for design, and to open up new representational practices in response to socio-environmental issues.

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Regenerative Materials

Coordinated by BC architects, materials & studies (Brussels), with Guillaume Habert (ETH Zurich) and Alia Bengana (EPFL, HEIA), this thematic week is organised around masterclasses held at Ensa Paris-Est and a four-day workshop in Brussels. It offers students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of bio-based and geo-based materials through workshops, visits and debates addressing the ecological issues involved in transforming architectural material regimes.

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Agriculture, Forestry and Architecture

Coordinated by Camille de Gaulmyn (degré·), this thematic week deepens students’ understanding of the societal issues surrounding the use of bio-based materials. Through visits to sites dedicated to the cultivation of construction materials, students examine interactions between architecture and agricultural and forestry sectors, analysing their impacts on ecosystems and communities and the conditions under which such material regimes can be considered sustainable.

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Biodiversity and Human Infrastructures

Coordinated by Brian Padilla (MNHN), this thematic week offers an immersion into the relationships between biodiversity and human infrastructures, combining scientific input, field-based practices and critical reflection on the role of architecture. It addresses the foundations of biodiversity, its functions and the causes of its decline, before exploring urban biodiversity through field workshops and examining building-related impacts as well as opportunities for buildings to function as habitats. The week concludes with group-based analytical work and collective discussion.

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Architecture of Energy Bifurcations

Coordinated by Jean Souviron (Ensa Paris-Est), with contributions from Raphaël Ménard (Arep), this thematic week deepens understanding of the challenges associated with moving away from fossil fuels. Organised around visits and masterclasses, it addresses the technical, ecological, social, economic and political dimensions of decarbonising energy infrastructures.

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Postgraduate programme directed by Jean Souviron, architect, civil engineer and PhD in architecture and urban planning,
with: Alia Bengana (EPF Lausanne, HEIA Fribourg), Paul Bouet (Ensa Paris-Est), Laurens Bekemans, Yohann Hubert et Jasper Van Der Linden (BC architects & studies & materials, Bruxelles), Rafael Alonso Candau, Florencia Collo et Olivier Dambron (Atmos Lab, Londres), Camille de Gaulmyn (degré, Paris), Pierre Dufour (Antoine Dufour arch., Paris), Guillaume Habert (ETH Zurich), Emmanuel Keita (ENPC), Sébastien Marot (Ensa Paris-Est, EPFL), Nzinga B. Mboup (Worofila, Dakar), Brian Padilla (MNHN), Antoine Perron (Ensa Paris-Belleville), Emmanuelle Raoul-Duval (ROOM, Paris), Claire Vernhes (Ensa Paris-Est, MEAT architectures et territoires), etc.

Language
Courses are taught in English or French. A minimum level of B2 is required in both languages. In French, this corresponds to a minimum score of between 400 and 499 points on the TCF language level test. In English, this corresponds to a TOEIC score of between 785 and 944 points.

Registration fees
1800 euros. For employees, the programme is approved by funding organisations such as Pôle emploi and OPCO.

Admission
The postgraduate programme is open to French and international architects and engineers holding a graduate degree. Candidates are selected between May and July based on a letter of application, CV, portfolio, and interview. The programme welcomes both initial and continuing professional training.
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