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Erik L'Heureux
20102026

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Erik G. L'Heureux (PhD, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C) is an architect and design scholar whose work integrates architectural practice, academic leadership, and research-by-design to address pressing environmental challenges in hot, wet, and densely populated equatorial cities facing the impacts of a warming world.

L'Heureux specialises in designing for the dense equatorial city, with a focus on adaptive reuse. He employs simple monolithic forms and delicate veils, carefully calibrating buildings, interiors, and experiences to the hot air of the urban equator in both delightful and unexpected ways. His portfolio spans more than 40 projects across Southeast Asia and has been recognised by institutions such as the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Society of American Registered Architects (SARA), the INDE Design Awards, the World Architecture Festival (WAF), and Singapore's President's Design Award.

He was awarded the Wheelwright Prize from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design for his research on mid-20th-century equatorial architecture. He has exhibited at the Venice Biennale, Cité de l'Architecture, the National Design Centre, the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, and the Centre for Architecture in New York City.

Before joining Monash University, L'Heureux spent two decades in Singapore, where he held various academic and leadership roles at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He previously practised in New York City and taught at the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at The Cooper Union. He holds a PhD from RMIT University, where he received an RMIT Award for Research Excellence, a Master of Architecture from Princetown University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, where he was a James W. Fitzgibbon Scholar.

He is a registered architect in the USA and Singapore, NCARB-certified, and a LEED BD+C professional. In 2020, he was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects for his contributions to architectural education, training, and practice.

Education/Academic qualification

Architecture, PhD, School of Architecture and Urban Design, RMIT University

… → 2022

Architecture, Master of Architecture, School of Architecture, Princeton University

… → 2000

Architecture, Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, School of Architecture, Washington University in St Louis

… → 1996

Research area keywords

  • architecture
  • climatic design
  • equatorial architecture
  • tropical architecture
  • decarbonization
  • Asian urbanism

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or