A 2009 graduate of École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture in Grenoble, since 2013 Johan Després has renovated buildings as part of the Cabestan builders’ cooperative. He specialises in raw earth architecture and renovation of rammed earth constructions. Després employs an ethical approach and does not use materials whose end-of-life cannot be responsibly managed: the only good waste is no waste.
As the recipient of the 2016 Terra Migaki Design Prize in Milan, he was invited to visit Japan and perfect the techniques he had already studied for many years. During his stay, he learned to build Japanese earthen walls, as well as continuing his research into self-build techniques and opportunities to reconcile design and construction.
