Roofscapes

Climate Realignment: Tactical Adaptations to Urban Heat by Roofscapes. Roofscapes Studio is a venture incubated in the '20 MITdesignX cohort by Tim Cousin, Olivier Faber, and Eytan Levi. Roofscapes transforms unused Paris rooftops into greenscapes. "With several projects already underway in Paris and beyond, 'Climate Realignment' blends research, design, and advocacy to propose a roadmap for adapting Europe’s existing building stock—and asserting the right to do so." 📍 Arsenale, Corderie On view until  Nov 23, 2025 🔗 More MIT projects at the Venice Architecture Biennale at https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eWv9gg5N. Image: Lloyd Lee MIT School of Architecture and Planning | Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia

Last week, we closed a remarkable academic experience at Rice Global Paris! After our #GlobalSummerWorkshop in #Barcelona in 2024, our course: "#ArchitecturalStructures: Art, Form, Resiliency, and Sustainability", consolidates this #interdisciplinary platform, bringing together students from our Rice School of Architecture and Rice University School of Engineering and Computing. This course, co-taught with my colleague Kalil Erazo, is the confirmation of a new academic paradigm in which #interdisciplinary education and #collaborative initiatives foster the positive transformation of our communities and our built environment through #experientiallearning, with a global, holistic, and universal vocation. Integrating the principles of #civilengineering and #architecturaldesign, this course combines our different perspectives to explore #sustainablestructures, #materialcultures, and #ecologicaldesign through lectures, hands-on experiments, and field trips. We want to thank our hosts at Rice Global Paris, Garry White and Camille Evans, for their support and generosity. To our guests and speakers: Toshiki Niimi (RPBW Renzo Piano Building Workshop), Jordi Viñals, Aurélie Vernon, Amélie Fritzlar (KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES), Sandie Kate Fenton, Benoît Le Thierry d'Ennequin (EXPLORATIONS ARCHITECTURE), Eytan Levi (Roofscapes), and Victor Maréchal (MANERA). ... And to our amazing students: Toson Aldam-Tajima, Isaac Al-Ramahi, Yassmine Boualam, Titan Chen, Norah Cichowski, Alba Galarza, Caroline Rich, Lucy Rixner, Sophie Valbrune, Grace Xu, Kathy Xu, and Emma Liu who made this course meaningful and enjoyable. Attached are some images of this wonderful experience, including our visit to #Roofscapes, and the beautiful prototype we built in collaboration with our students and our talented colleague Victor Maréchal (MANERA), now part of our garden at Rice Global Paris as a testimony of this fascinating and transformative journey. We will share more details of this project soon! Stay tuned! #RiceMomentoUS #BuildingEcologies #RiceUniversity #InterdisciplinaryEducation #RiceGlobal #Innovation #CollaborativePlatforms

🚩 We’re pleased to share the class report of "Do No Harm: Dilemmas in Planning for Health", a Harvard University Graduate School of Design course Roofscapes partnered with in the fall of 2024 to explore the deep interconnections between health, housing, and urban planning, using the physical and social fabric of Paris as a living laboratory. 👉 Link to the class report: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/ezaKcYZP 🔍 It’s a fascinating 112-page document that contains maps and projects for the adaptation of Parisian buildings and neighborhoods that have never been published before. Thank you very much to Professor Magda Maaoui, PhD and Hiteshree Das for preparing this beautiful report. 🤓 Our three co-founders Eytan Levi, Olivier Faber and Tim Cousin were thrilled to serve as critics for the mid-term and final review of the class. In it, you might particularly enjoy discovering: 🌆 A demographic and thermal breakdown of Parisian upper floor dwelling units by Aleksandra Banas, Amanda Bendixen, Jazzlynn Derrick, Brooke Jin and Rachel Fischer 🌳 A study of the distance between buildings and green spaces in Paris by Issam Azzam, Mike Kaneshiro, Cory Page and Shivangi Varma 🌡️ An analysis showing the absurd correlation between heat islands and property prices across Paris by Melissa Berlin, Hiteshree Das, Karthik Girish and Michaela Gwiazda 🌱 Tools to expand greening initiatives to large-scale affordable housing districts around Paris by Aleksandra Banas, Amanda Bendixen, Jazzlynn Derrick, Brooke Jin and Rachel Fischer 🤝 A proposal to self-fund climate adaptation and green infrastructure in private residential buildings across Paris, with a focus on the 14th arrondissement, by Melissa Berlin, Hiteshree Das, Karthik Girish and Michaela Gwiazda 🧱 An expansion of Roofscapes' approach to Habitations à Bon Marché by Issam Azzam, Mike Kaneshiro, Cory Page and Shivangi Varma

☀️ [REDIFFUSION ÉTÉ – CONCRET, ÉPISODE 2] 🌿 Et si on prenait un peu de hauteur ? Pendant l’été, je vous propose de (re)découvrir des épisodes marquants de mon podcast Concret : 🎧 Aujourd’hui, retour sur l’épisode 2 avec Roofscapes, une jeune start-up incubée par Le Perqo, l’incubateur de la Région Île-de-France : 🌱 Leur idée ? Végétaliser les toits parisiens pour : ➡️ rafraîchir la ville et lutter contre les îlots de chaleur, ➡️ renforcer la biodiversité, ➡️ améliorer la gestion des eaux pluviales, ➡️ tout cela sans altérer l’architecture existante. 🏙️ Avec Tim Cousin, Eytan Levi et Olivier Faber, les trois co-fondateurs, on parle design, ingénierie, climat et innovation — mais aussi de la manière dont un projet peut faire dialoguer écologie et patrimoine urbain. 🎙️ C’est un épisode inspirant sur les toits… mais les pieds bien ancrés dans le concret. 🔗 À écouter ou réécouter ici : https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/epFemzvU 📌 Et pour en savoir plus sur Le Perqo et les dispositifs d’accompagnement régionaux pour les start-ups à impact : https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/ejB7gbt8 Région Île-de-France Valérie Pécresse Alexandra Dublanche Ile-de-France Rassemblée Roofscapes Olivier Faber Tim Cousin Eytan Levi Le Perqo Crédit photo : Roofscapes #PodcastConcret #RediffusionÉté #VilleDurable #ToitsVerts #InnovationUrbaine #ÉcologieUrbaine #PERQO #StartUpÀImpact #Biodiversité #TransitionÉcologique #RégionIDF

🌡️ Il y a quelques jours, notre co-fondateur Eytan Levi et Sabine Romon de Paris Climat - Direction de la Transition Écologique et du Climat ont présenté le projet pilote de Roofscapes sur la toiture de l'Académie du Climat, à l'occasion du lancement de l'appel à innovation du collectif Nos Villes à 50°C (NV50). 🥵 Ce collectif rassemble des acteurs publics et privés pour accélérer l’adaptation du patrimoine bâti face aux vagues de chaleur. 🌞 L'appel à innovation en cours vise à rendre visibles et accompagner le développement de solutions innovantes déjà testées pour l'adaptation des bâtiments et quartiers aux vagues de chaleur. 👉 Pour candiater, c'est très simple et c'est par ici : https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gS6iwtbj ___ 🌡️ A few days ago, our co-founder Eytan Levi and Sabine Romon from Paris Climat - Direction de la Transition Écologique et du Climat presented Roofscapes' pilot project on the roof of Académie du Climat, at the launch of the call for innovation of Nos Villes à 50°C (NV50). 🥵 This collective brings together public and private players to accelerate the adaptation of built heritage in the face of heatwaves. 🌞 The ongoing call for innovation aims to make visible and support the development of innovative solutions already tested for the adaptation of buildings and neighborhoods to heat waves. 👉 To apply, just head over here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gS6iwtbj Institut Français pour la Performance du Bâtiment (Ifpeb), Action for Market Transformation - A4MT, Christophe Rodriguez, Mathéo PARISSE, Myriam Djaber, Renaud Czarnes, Florian Rémond, Construction21 - France, Anne-Sophie Tardy, Stéphanie Obadia

During my visit to the Venice Biennale last week, I came across this model—part of the Climate Realignment: Tactical Adaptations to Urban Heat installation by Roofscapes Studio. It presents homes from different historical eras and reveals, through heat-activated materials, how each responds to solar exposure. What struck me was the layered story of resilience and obsolescence: Buildings designed for different climates and times Now exposed to rising temperatures they were never meant to face Adaptation becomes both a technical and cultural challenge As architects and planners, we often work with inherited contexts. But climate change demands that we rethink even the most familiar forms—roofs, walls, windows—not just for function, but for survival. I left the room thinking: how many of our cities are quietly overheating? And how many design decisions still ignore this invisible threat? Have you worked on heat-responsive projects? I’d love to hear how you’re integrating thermal performance, not just as an engineering concern—but as part of the architectural narrative. ( Photo I took at the Biennale – a small model, a big question) #VeniceBiennale #ClimateAdaptation #UrbanHeat #ArchitecturalHeritage #SustainableDesign #ThermalPerformance #NIOC #UrbanResilience #Architecture

🗓️ Vrijdag 5 september 2025 – Gratis Inspiratie Event – Gent Architecturale visie op multifunctionele daken - Hoe kunnen groene, duurzame daken binnen de karakteristieke Parijse architectuur bijdragen aan een veerkrachtige toekomst? In deze lezing neemt Eytan Levi van Roofscapes ons mee naar de daken in Parijs. Hoe gaat een wereldstad zoals Parijs om met de hedendaagse klimaatuitdagingen en welke rol kunnen multifunctionele daken spelen in het vormgeven van een leefbare stad? Schrijf je in voor dit gratis inspiratie event 👉 https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eXPVK-E6 Dit event wordt georganiseerd in samenwerking met Klimaatdak, een initiatief van Embuild Vlaanderen en Buildwise. Samen met onze partners: Frank Vanhove, Sven Van Caimere, Catrin De Cuyper, Juul Martens, Henk Vlijm, Geert de Bruijne, Michel Pas, Sven Keersse, Miriam Corremans, Tom van Opstal, Wout Thevelin, Henri Dejans, Niels Deplaecie, Sylvie Baelen, Dieter Van Dorpe, Bernard De Keyser, Herman Temmerman, Stijn Feys, Kevin Höra, Bregt Zwijsen, Jan Moens, Philip Steenackers, Bernard Van Eygen en Geert Bettens. Owens Corning FOAMGLAS® Benelux - Building Insulation, Optigrün Benelux, Roval Aluminium, Sita Bauelemente GmbH, SOPREMA BELUX, SOLIDOR, RESITRIX® , Guardian, SHEETAH, LAMILUX, XSPlatforms, Buildwise, Bureau Bouwtechniek NV, ING Belgium en ArcelorMittal Steligence. #dakopbouw #bouwsector #devijfdegevel #daken #architectuur #inspiratie #b2build #klimaatdak

We attended the 2025 Venice Biennale of Architecture and Rashiq Fataar shares his top picks for urbanists and city leaders — from cooling public space and scaling affordable housing, to embracing informal markets and designing with circular systems. It was curated by Carlo Ratti under the theme Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective. Learn more about the ideas and projects here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dgNHxCcC — Heatwave – Kingdom of Bahrain Creative urban cooling merging traditional Bahraini wisdom with contemporary engineering.(Curator: Andrea Faraguna) — Agency for Better Living – Austria A data-rich look into how Vienna continues to deliver large-scale, affordable housing. (Curators: Sabine Pollak, Michael Obrist, Lorenzo Romito) —Alternative Urbanism – Lagos Markets as circular infrastructure — highlighting the intelligence of self-organised, informal systems. (Designer: Oshinowo Studio) — Climate Realignment – Paris A tested nature-based prototype for rooftop cooling, reducing surface temperatures by over 30°C. (Roofscapes) — Recycling Intelligences – Spain AI-generated housing typologies, using real-world data to imagine socially responsive design. (Curators:Lluis Ortega, Enrique Romero, Julia Capomaggi, Nil Brullet) — Internalities – Spanish Pavilion Low-carbon architecture meets territorial equity and material ethics. (Curators: Roi Salgueiro & Manuel Bouzas) #cities #urbanism #venice #design #architecture #climatechange #publicspace #informality #urbandesign

We’re proud to have partnered once again with Swiss Prime Site for the 26th edition of the Start-up Accelerator Programme, supporting groundbreaking startups shaping the future of the real estate industry. 🏢 https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dN-A_JS2 🏆 From over 65 applications, three exceptional ventures were selected for their strong alignment with SPS’s strategic priorities in cleantech, proptech, and enterprisetech: 🔹 Bewy 🔹 Roofscapes 🔹 Swissframe AG These startups had the opportunity to pitch directly to Swiss Prime Site’s Executive Management Board, opening the door to potential pilot projects and commercial collaborations. 🗣️ “Getting exposure to the executive board of one of the biggest real estate companies in Switzerland is an opportunity that early-stage startups usually do not get.” said Marcandrea Hunkeler, Co-Founder of Bewy. Congratulations to all participants and thank you to everyone who made this edition a success! #SwissPrimeSite #StartupAccelerator #SwissStartups 

Paris hat am Wochenende die Seine offiziell zum Baden freigegeben – ein symbolischer Schritt, der auch als Maßnahme zur Klimaanpassung verstanden werden kann, so Bürgermeisterin Anne Hidalgo. Doch Paris geht noch weiter und sucht auch an anderen Stellen kreative Lösungen. Ein Beispiel: Fast 80 % der Dächer in Paris bestehen aus verzinkten Satteldächern. Sie prägen das Stadtbild und sind Teil des kulturellen Erbes, verschärfen aber im Sommer das Mikroklima erheblich. Genau hier setzt Roofscapes an: Das Team um Eytan Levi entwickelt Holzkonstruktionen für diese Dächer, die Begrünung, Wasserspeicherung und andere Nutzungen ermöglichen. Im Rahmen unseres Obendrauf & Zwischendrin-Festivals hatten wir Eytan in Mannheim zu Gast. Gemeinsam mit dem Eigentümernetzwerk City-Net e.V. und Fachleuten für Dach- und Fassadenbegrünung haben wir zunächst über die Potenziale unserer Dächer gesprochen. Am Samstag gab es dann noch einen spannenden Vortrag auf dem Dach der Abendakademie. Eytan Levi und Roofscapes sind – genau wie Mannheim – Teil des europäischen Projekts Multiroofs, das sich mit der multifunktionalen Nutzung von Dachflächen beschäftigt. Vielen Dank für Deinen Besuch und die inspirierenden Impulse, lieber Eytan! #Dachbegrünung #Multiroofs #Klimaanpassung #Paris #Mannheim #ObendraufUndZwischendrin #Stadtentwicklung #futuraum #obendraufundzwischendrin Over the weekend, Paris officially opened the Seine for swimming – a symbolic step and part of the city’s climate adaptation strategy, as Mayor Anne Hidalgo explained. But Paris is going even further and exploring creative solutions in other areas as well. One example: Nearly 80% of the rooftops in Paris are traditional zinc-clad pitched roofs. They define the cityscape and are part of its cultural heritage, but they also significantly contribute to overheating the microclimate during summer. This is exactly where Roofscapes comes in. The team led by Eytan Levi develops wooden rooftop structures that enable greening, water storage, and other uses. As part of our Obendrauf & Zwischendrin festival, we welcomed Eytan to Mannheim. Together with the City-Net e.V. property owners’ network and experts in rooftop and façade greening, we explored the huge potential of our rooftops. On Saturday, we also hosted an inspiring rooftop lecture at the Abendakademie. Eytan Levi and Roofscapes are – just like Mannheim – part of the European Multiroofs project, which focuses on the multifunctional use of rooftops. Thank you for your visit and your inspiring ideas, Eytan! #GreenRoofs #Multiroofs #ClimateAdaptation #Paris #Mannheim #UrbanGreening #CityDevelopment #SustainableCities