Draft:Spartaco Paris

Spartaco Paris (Rome, 1973) is an Italian architect, university professor, and essayist. He is a full professor at Sapienza University of Rome, where he works in technological design of architecture, innovation applied to the built environment, urban regeneration, sustainability, and digital processes for architectural and urban heritage. His work lies at the intersection of scientific research, teaching, design experimentation, and critical reflection on contemporary architecture, with particular attention to the relationship between technology, design culture, and the public dimension of architecture.

Biography

Born in Rome in 1973, Paris was raised in a context connected to the culture of architecture, design, and planning. He is the son of Tonino Paris, an architect and professor emeritus of Industrial Design at Sapienza University of Rome. He graduated in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture of Sapienza University of Rome in 1999 and received a PhD in Energy and Environmental Technologies for Sustainable Development in 2002. During his education, he conducted study and research activities at Oxford Brookes University, the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura in San Sebastián, and ETH Zurich, where in 2003 he was a scholarship recipient in the Nachdiplomstudium program directed by Hans Kollhoff. After teaching and research experience at the Polytechnic University of Bari between 2004 and 2012, he joined Sapienza University of Rome, where he teaches technological design of architecture and processes of transformation of the built environment. Since 2022, he has directed CITERA – the Interdepartmental Centre for Territory, Building, Restoration and Environment of Sapienza University of Rome.

Scientific activity

Paris's research concerns technological innovation applied to architectural design, with particular attention to sustainability, the redevelopment of existing structures, the management of the building heritage, and digital processes for the built environment. Part of his scientific activity concerns the application of digital technologies, integrated information systems, and digital twins to architectural and urban heritage, with particular reference to the monitoring, management, and enhancement of the built environment.

Professional activity

Alongside his academic work, he conducts design experimentation and provides consulting services for public institutions and private organizations, participates in architectural competition juries, and has received awards and recognition in national and international competitions, including first prize at Europan 8 and first prize for Piazza 2 Giugno in Guidonia. He served as an expert member and deputy vice-president of the Committee for Urban and Building Quality (COQUE) of Rome Capital.

Editorial and cultural activity

Alongside his academic work, Paris is active in publishing and public outreach in the fields of architecture, design, and design culture. He collaborated with the magazine Domus between 2013 and 2017 during the editorship of Nicola Di Battista and is the author of the entry Technology of Architecture for the Italian Encyclopedia, published by the Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. In publishing, he directs the scientific series ADT – Architecture, Design, Technologies and is co-editor of the international journal Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage.

Thought and research themes

A significant part of Paris's writing concerns the changing role of the architect in contemporary society and the redefinition of the relationship between design, technology, the market, communication, and urban transformations. In his writings, he has addressed themes including the loss of architecture's cultural centrality, transformations in university education, the impact of digital technologies on design processes, and the need to reconstruct a public and civic dimension of design.

Amiamo l’architettura

In 2026, he published with Laterza the essay Amiamo l’architettura. Sul destino incerto di un’arte civica. The book was presented at the Department of Architecture of the University of Naples Federico II. The book has been reviewed in the national and specialized press.

Main works

Tecnologia, ambiente e sviluppo, tra nord e sud del mondo (Rome, Gangemi Editore, 2003) Michele Beccu, Spartaco Paris, L’involucro architettonico contemporaneo tra linguaggio e costruzione (Rome, RDesign Press, 2008) Design and Technology. Lectures (Trento, LISt Lab, 2013) Design, Technology, Empathy. A contemporary issue in the conception and production of artifacts (Champaign, Common Ground Research Networks, 2019) Riabitare il moderno. Il progetto per il rinnovo dell’housing (Macerata, Quodlibet, 2019) Marco Aurelio nell’era digitale, co-curated with Vincenzo Gattulli and Claudio Parisi Presicce (2025) Amiamo l’architettura. Sul destino incerto di un’arte civica (Rome–Bari, Laterza, 2026)

External links

Faculty profile at Sapienza University of Rome