The Free Facade

Abstract

Jim Njoo completed his undergraduate studies in architecture at the University of Waterloo, Canada and has a graduate degree (D.E.A.) in architectural history and theory from the Ecole d’architecture de Paris-Belleville. Since 1989, he has worked as an architect in North America and Europe, notably in the Netherlands where he was a collaborator in the offices of Rem Koolhaas/OMA, Rotterdam and the Architektengroep Mecanoo, Delft. Based in Paris since 1992, his work has been distinguished on several occasions in exhibitions, publications and competitions. Twice a winner of the international Europan competition for architects under 40, he is currently working on a large-scale mixed-use development for the city of Maribor in Slovenia. Associate professor of theory and practice at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-La Villette, he also teaches in the Paris programs of Columbia University GSAPP and Rice University School of Architecture. In addition to his professional and academic activities, he is currently preparing a doctoral dissertation on the question of surface in modern architecture.