Honorary ENAC professor Pierre von Meiss distinguished

Pierre von Meiss, honorary professor in architecture at ENAC, has been awarded him the Medal for Education, Teaching, and Research for his contribution to the study and practice of architecture by the Foundation de l’Academie d’Architecture 1978. He received the award largely for his book Elements of Architecture, which, now in its third edition, has been translated into multiple languages and has become a standard textbook for architecture students in many universities.

Elements of Architecture was first published in French under the title: De la forme au lieu, de la tectonique by the Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes in 1993. It distinguishes itself from other works on architecture in that, rather than analyzing any particular architectural style, it focuses on constant factors that exist in all forms of architecture, from the past to the present day.

For over three decades, Pierre von Meiss taught architectural design and theory at EPFL, where the focus of his research was on the more permanent principles of architecture, the city, and landscapes. Throughout his career, he spent time as a visiting professor at the universities of Cornell, Pennsylvania, Kent State, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bucharest, Brno, Warsaw, Alghero (Italy) and UCY (Cyprus).