PEOPLE
The Architectural Institute remains uniquely connected to industry and research allowing its staff to provide a teaching experience that is relevant to contemporary practice. The majority of our teaching staff are registered architects. In keeping with the Institute’s international focus, many are registered to practice in more than one state.
DIRECTORS & STAFF
All teaching staff at the Architectural Institute of Paris, be they architects, artists, designers, theoreticians, or other professionals are practitioners of their discipline. Every member of staff is actively involved in practice or has founded their own studio or firm.
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Agne Beech Mole RIBA
Board of Directors
President and Chair of the Board of Directors
Architect
Ordre des Architectes (FR), RIBA (UK)
____Agne is the President of the Architectural Institute.
She has 8 years experience at the CEO level within French companies, and combines this corporate management experience with considerable experience in construction project management.
Agnė is a French-registered architect, she co-founded BoBo Paris in Montmartre, Paris in 2017, specialising in the technical and construction stages of residential and hotel projects.
Agnė trained at École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Belleville, graduating with Distinction before completing her HMONP at École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Nantes. Her practice has been featured in the Architects’ Journal in the UK.
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Henry Beech Mole RIBA
Professor of Architecture
Design Tutor - Design Studio 1
Architect
ARB (UK), RIBA (UK), Ordre des Architectes (FR)
____Henry is a registered architect in both the UK and France, having worked for practices in both Paris and London, he co-founded architectural studio, BoBo Paris, in Montmartre, Paris in 2017, opening its second office in the UK in 2020.
He is Professor of Architecture at the Architectural Institute. He combines nearly a decade of leadership experience within Higher Education and Architectural Practice with a pedagogical approach based on critical design and architectural speculation.
Henry is also Chief Design Officer for AICI, a Robotics & Artificial Intelligence design company based in Munich, where he supports the leadership team to imagine and develop new design and product concepts for the applications of future technology in architecture and construction.
He also serves as the Honorary Treasurer for the RIBA Europe Chapter from 2025 - 2028.
Henry studied at the Architectural Association and the Royal College of Art in London where he graduated with a Distinction. He also has a First Class degree from the Canterbury School of Architecture. He has been nominated for the RIBA Bronze Medal, received the RIBA South East award and his practice, BoBo Paris, featured in the Architects' Journal in the UK.
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James A M Smith RIBA
Visiting Professor of Architecture
Academic Registrar
Architect
ARB (UK), RIBA (UK)
____James is an architect currently based in Zurich, Switzerland, where he works with Hurst Song Architekten, having previously worked in London and Berlin.
James studied at the University of Cambridge and the Royal College of Art. His thesis project explored the potential of an infrastructural environmental architecture in the Pearl River Delta of China.
His current research explores the intersection of emerging digital technologies and the environmental imperative of the 21st century.
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Robert B Mole RIBA
Board of Directors
Head of Professional Practice
Non-Executive Director
Architect
ARB (UK), RIBA (UK), Ordre des Architectes (FR)
____Robert trained at the Oxford School of Architecture, Oxford Polytechnic, and has practiced as an architect for 40 years in London and the South-West of England. He is registered to practice as an architect in both France and the UK.
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Paul Gresham
Board of Directors
Chief External Examiner
Non-Executive Director
Architect
Virginia (USA), Ordre des Architectes (FR)
____Paul Gresham is a licensed practicing architect in France and in the USA. Native of Virginia, graduate of the University of Virginia School of Architecture (BSArch) and Princeton University School of Architecture (MArch), his French practice began in 1992 with various collaborative associations including partners in Asia , Europe , and the USA , involving problems, contexts, and scales ranging from the domestic to the urban.
The teaching of architecture is a central component of his activity, both at the level of theory and of practice. Adjunct studio professor at Princeton university School of Architecture and Georgia Institute of Technology School of Architecture, assistant professor of architecture and history at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville, he is currently a tenured professor of architecture at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville.
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Dr. Jens Ludmann
Board of Directors
Non-Executive Director
____Dr. Jens Ludmann held various leadership positions in the automotive and supplier industry. He combines a strong technical background with comprehensive management experience.
With a PhD from Aachen University in the field of automotives, he has led the development of over 14 full vehicle programs. The main highlights in his career are the creation of the Ford S-Max, the leadership position in McLaren Automotive as COO and currently running the European business of the automotive supplier Bharat Forge as CEO.
Jens is a non-executive director on the board of the Architectural Institute, advising on sound financial, business, and management aspects of the Institute.
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Thiago T. A. de Soveral
Faculty
Head of Research
Architect
Conselho de Arquitetura e Urbanismo - CAU (BR)
____Thiago is a licensed architect based in Paris and Rio de Janeiro. His work spans architectural design, urban projects, planning, consulting, research, and education.
He holds a PhD from the Architectural Association School of Architecture (London, UK), where he also earned an AA-MPhil in Projective Cities. He has a master’s degree from the Bauhaus (Dessau, Germany) and an undergraduate degree from USU (Rio, Brazil).
Thiago is currently the Head of Architecture and Urban Development Management at BlendGroup, a Consultant to the World Bank/IFC for Social Housing, and the Architectural Coordinator of the +Lapena Habitat Program at the Tide Setúbal Foundation.
He has taught as a Studio Master at the School of Architecture of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (FAU/UFRJ, Rio), and as a Seminar Tutor for History and Theory Studies at the Architectural Association (AA, London). He has been a guest lecturer at several institutions, including the School of Architecture at the University of Miami (USA), University of Navarra (Spain), ESARQ (Mexico), University of Hertfordshire (UK), Columbia University (USA), ENSA-Versailles (France), Bauhaus-Weimar (Germany), RUDN University (Russia), and PUC-Rio (Brazil).
He is a member of the research group UrCA – Urbanism, Criticism, and Architecture (PROURB |FAU | UFRJ). Recently, he was a visiting researcher at PROURB through the CAPES PrInt program and served as the coordinator of the UIA2020RIO International Student Competition. He is also the co-editor of the monographic series COPIA.
Thiago coordinates a pilot social housing project using a rental model on the periphery of São Paulo (BlendGroup | Din4mo | Fundação Tide Setúbal). The project explores new forms of collective ownership and management of housing units and shared spaces, incorporating innovative financial models through blended finance structures.
He is a founding partner of A040 architectural practice, and his work has been exhibited in St. Louis (USA), Venice (Italy), Copenhagen (Denmark), and Katowice (Poland) at the World Urban Forum (WUF11). -
Harry Postins
Faculty
Head of Design Studio
Design Tutor - Design Studio 0
____Harry is a designer based in Paris, working between France and the UK, bridging the fields of architecture, filmmaking and artistic research.
He graduated from University of Bath and the Royal College of Art, where his research focussed on the profound social implications of the evolution of contemporary society, in an era of information and surveillance.
For many years he worked in London for a well-renowned architectural practice, before crossing the channel to pursue a career integrating more varied disciplines.
Under the moniker of his design studio ‘blincoe’ he is currently delivering multiple architectural projects, whilst also assisting filmmakers and fashion houses in the role of Artistic Director and Production Designer. He also remains a visiting juror and occasional tutor at the Royal College of Art, notably with Benjamin Reynolds and Valle Medina (ADS12).
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Bessie Lemann
Faculty
Design Tutor - Design Studio 2Architect
ABWA (AUS)
____Bessie is an architect with urban design, architecture and landscape experience.
Graduating from The University of Western Australia in 2016, Bessie worked for multidisciplinary offices in both Melbourne and Perth before obtaining architectural registration.
Bessie has previously taught landscape design studios and architectural electives in Australia. These experiences have broadened her appreciation and understanding of both the study and practice of architecture.
She is currently working remotely for an Australian company as well as a studio tutor on the Master’s architecture course at the Institute, following on from her role as External Examiner in the 2023/24 academic year.
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Mazen Alameddin
Faculty
Design Tutor - Design Studio 2
____After graduating from the Polytechnic University of Turin in 2021, Mazen has accumulated diverse experience in managing and leading architectural projects across the Middle East.
He further advanced his education by graduating with distinction from the Architectural Institute of Paris in 2024, where he now continues his academic career as a studio master while actively working on architectural projects.
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Emilio Koutsoftides
Faculty
Residency Programme DirectorArchitect
Architects' Association (CY)
____Emilio Koutsoftides is an architect and artist living and working in Paphos, Cyprus.
After studying architecture at the Canterbury School of Architecture he worked for firms in Cyprus and Malaysia and successfully participated in international competitions.
From 2016 to 2018, Emilio worked at Teecom, involving designing exhibition venues worldwide. He has worked for the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum, Miami at the M+ Museum, Hong Kong, the National Museum of Jordan, the American Natural History Museum, New York and for the EXPO 2020, Dubai.
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Jade Mroueh
Faculty
French Language Tutor
____Jade is a tutor for French as a foreign language.
A native of Lyon, she qualified in International Business, French as a Foreign Language and Linguistics.
She studied and worked for 10 years in a number of different countries, including Argentina, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar, Ukraine and the USA.
Passionate about all languages, she has taught herself many foreign languages and through this developed teaching techniques that she brings to the study of French.
She now lives in Paris where she teaches to Professionals and International students.
RECRUITMENT
Our staff, be they architects, artists, designers, or other professionals are practitioners of their discipline. See our positions here.