Rock star of architecture: Who is Odile Decq?

French architect and urban planner Decq is a name with a monumental impact in the field of contemporary architecture. Going beyond traditional design norms and boldly experimenting with innovative elements, the architect continues to shape the architectural landscape today with her avant-garde aesthetics and pioneering spirit that challenges the status quo. Each design is like an architectural manifesto that pushes the limits...

Born in Laval, France, Decq shifted her focus to the vast creative field of architecture after studying the disciplines of history and art history. This infrastructure, which she acquired in the early years of her career, later became the cornerstone of her future architectural successes, nourishing her rebellious but constructive spirit.

Odile Decq (born 1955) is a French architect, urban planner and academic. She is the founder of the Paris firm, Studio Odile Decq and the architecture school, Confluence Institute. Decq is known for her self-described goth appearance and style.

In the 1970s Odile Decq first entered the architecture school of the École Régionale d'Architecture de Rennes. In her first year, she is told by the school principal that she will never become an architect because she does not have the right spirit. Decq later recalled these words, explaining that she invented her "rebellious" appearance as a means of emphasizing her visibility as a woman in the world of architecture.

After completing two years at the architecture school in Rennes, Decq then moved to Paris, where she enrolled at the La Villette school. Due to the 1968 Revolution, Decq preferred to spend her time in protests and, on the other hand, started working for the writer Philippe Boudon to cover her education expenses. Boudon, who was writing about architectural theory at the time, was interested in Decq because of her work in literature and linguistics. Decq, who started reading for Boudon, later began writing for him; Four years later, she resigned from this job to get her degree. She graduated from the École nationale supérieure d'architecture in Paris-La Villette in 1978 and from the Paris Institute of Political Studies in 1979 with a diploma in urban planning.

Benoît Cornette, who opened her own architecture office in 1979 and would be Decq's future partner in the office and in her personal life, was studying medicine at that time. Cornette earned an architecture degree in 1985, and the duo subsequently founded the architecture firm ODBC. The buildings they completed with Peter Rice in 1990 for the Banque Populaire de l'Ouest in Rennes, the first metal construction office building in France, brought them numerous awards and international recognition. In 1998, her partner Cornette died in a traffic accident at the age of 45. She continues to work at the architecture office Decq ODBC but changed the name of the office to Studio Odile Decq in 2013.

Characterized by dynamic form and the use of bold colors (especially red), extensive use of glass, and manipulation of light and shadow, Decq's designs do not just serve a function; they also encourage deep sensory and emotional experiences. Her distinctive blend of architectural elements can be clearly discerned among her remarkable works.

The fact that she was awarded the Golden Lion during the Venice Architecture Biennale in 1996 is a confirmation of her early and extraordinary career.

Making significant contributions to architectural education beyond her design achievements, Decq's legacy extends far beyond the physical structures she designed and the students she mentored. In 1992, she began teaching at the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris; Fifteen years later, she continues to serve as the head of the architecture department of this school. She left in 2012 and two years later she initiated the opening of the Confluence Institute for Innovation and Creative Strategies in Lyon, France. Thus, it encourages innovation and creative problem-solving in future architects by transforming design philosophy into an educational context.

Known for her love of speed, innovative forms and meticulous material selection, Decq's contributions to the world of architecture have been celebrated with more than 40 recognitions and awards.

Explaining her philosophy of architecture as "building structures where people can move, live in good conditions, and forget the harshness of life outside", the architect emphasizes that architecture must have a humanistic approach.