Rodolphe el-Khoury

Rodolphe el-Khoury

Rodolphe el-Khoury is Dean of the University of Miami School of Architecture. Trained as both a historian and a designer, he divides his time between scholarship, research, and practice. He is the author of numerous books on architecture and urbanism, including See Through Ledoux; Architecture Theatre, and the Pursuit of Transparency; Monolithic Architecture; and Figures: Essays on Contemporary Architecture. el-Khoury’s leads RAD-UM, a research lab for embedded technology and robotics aiming at enhancing responsiveness and resilience in buildings and smart cities. The work of his firm, Khoury Levit Fong (KLF), has won international awards.

el-Khoury’s work has been featured in national and international media outlets that cut across disciplines ranging from WIRED Magazine to the Wall Street Journal to the Space Channel to BBC World. He has shared his work through teaching, visiting professorships and lectures at dozens of institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

Keynote Topics:

Social Machines for Smart Cities

Rodolphe el-Khoury presents architectural projects that use emerging technology to enable responsiveness and interactivity in the city.  The examples emphasize the social benefits of the embedded technologies:   not only do they make our cities healthier, more sustainable, and more efficient, they also animate our public spaces, they make them more welcoming and accommodating, prompting us to connect, socialize, and come together as a community. Such projects point to a near future where smart and responsive urban environments become vibrant and effective platforms for social media.