Akuto Akpedze Konou

Expertise Ecological & Social Architecture; Sustainable urban planning; Urban agriculture and health-oriented spatial planning and design; Nature-Based Solutions; Circular Design and Construction. Mission Design and research healthier, more inclusive, climate-resilient environments through ecological architecture and health-oriented spatial planning. Akuto Akpedze Konou, PhD, is an architect and urban planner affiliated with CEAT ENAC - IIE EPFL. Her work bridges architectural design and urban planning with ecological transition and social equity, with a research focus on urban agriculture and health-oriented spatial planning and design. She earned her PhD at EPFL under the direction of Dr. Jérôme Chenal, and contributed to the SNSF Sinergia initiative African Contributions to Global Health. Trained at EAMAU (Lomé) and Iowa State University (USA), a Fulbright and DKG Fellow, she combines academic research with professional experience in public projects and international consultancy. She is Secretary General of Tous Artisanes VD and Project Lead for “Sommeil Végétal (SoVé)”, an ecological transitional housing initiative, and serves as an internal auditor for the African Architecture and Urbanism Biennale (BAAU). She co-founded Konou & Co, Axe Durable, and AfriK Durabiliterre, developing R&D-driven approaches and communication formats for sustainable urban development. Professionals experiences Architect 2025–2025 Equilibre Immobilier Sàrl, FribourgArchitect and Manager 2024–2025 Createch Bois Sàrl, AubonnePostdoctoral Researcher (Communications Lead) 2024–2024 EPFLDoctoral Teaching and Research Assistant 2020–2024 EPFLTeaching and Research Assistant 2019–2020 Iowa State UniversityCo-founder and CEO 2017–2018 Axe Durable Sàrl, LoméProject Architect, Deputy Lead 2015–2017 GFA Consulting Group GmbH, LoméLead Architect 2014–2015 GIGA Architecture, LoméLead Architect 2013–2014 CitéalesAdjunct Lecturer & Studio Instructor 2013–2018 EAMAU Education Doctorat Es science | School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering | Spatial Design and Planning for Healthier Cities and Urban Agriculture 2020 – 2024 EPFL Directed by Jérôme Chenal College of Design | Community and Regional Planning 2018 – 2020 Iowa State University Directed by Alenka Poplin; Monica Haddad Master of Architecture and Urban Planning | Resilient, Responsive and Adaptive Architecture and Urban Planning 2007 – 2013 EAMAU Directed by Kodjo Mawuena Tchini; Eklu Agbeko Amendah; Alfé Seddoh Selected Media Urban Agriculture, health & Spatial Planning in Greater Lomé & Dar es Salaam Global HealthDocumentary directed and hosted by Akuto Akpedze Konou for the YouTube channel In(C), supporting her doctoral research (2020–2024). Published June 2024.Future African CitiesDocumentary directed and hosted by Akuto Akpedze Konou for the YouTube channel In(C), supporting her doctoral research (2020–2024). Published December 2018.A l’école d’architecture de Lomé, défense de copier les villes occidentales“A View from Akuto Akpedze Konou,” by Morgane Le Cam, Le Monde Afrique, 23 August 2017 edition. ResearchCurrent Research Fields Sustainable and Ecological Architecture; Research-by-Design and Architectural Design Methods; Nature-Based Solutions for the Built Environment; Inclusive Design and Social Equity; Urban Health and Well-Being. Teaching & PhDPhD thesis Urban Agricultural Spaces and Health: Exploring Spatial Planning and Design Paradigms for Enhanced Urban Agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Greater Lomé, TogoPast course 1 Planification urbaine dans le SudTeaching assistant and lecturerPast course 2 Aménagement du TerritoireTeaching assistant Awards Decisive Step Award Alter Start 2025 Fulbright Fellowship U.S. Congress and U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 2018 DKG World Fellowship Delta Kappa Gamma World Fellowship Program 2018 Student Leadership Award EAMAU (Ecole Africaine des Métiers de l'Architecture et de l'Urbanisme) 2013