José Oubrerie and Todd Gannon in conversation
José Oubrerie is Professor Emeritus at the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University, where he was Chair from 1991 to 1997.
Initially trained as a painter, Oubrerie studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1958, he joined the Atelier Le Corbusier, where he was involved in projects including the Strasbourg Convention Center, the Venice Hospital, and the church of St. Pierre de Firminy-Vert. After Corbusier’s death in 1965, he formed a brief partnership with Guillermo Jullian de la Fuente to complete design development of the Venice Hospital. In 1967, he launched Atelier José Oubrerie in Paris.
Oubrerie relocated to the United States in the early 1980s and formed his current practice, Atelier Wylde-Oubrerie, in 1989. His many acclaimed projects include the French Cultural Center in Damascus, the Miller House in Lexington, Kentucky, and the completion of the Firminy Church in 2006.
Long celebrated for his contributions to architectural education, Oubrerie has taught at the Cooper Union, Columbia University, the University of Kentucky (where he was Dean from 1987 to 1991), and Ohio State. He is currently visiting professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
His work has been published or exhibited worldwide and recognized with awards from institutions including the French Academy of Architecture, the AIA, the French Ministry of Construction, and the French Ministry of Culture, which promoted him to the rank of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2009.
