Francois Greck

Francois Greck Architect DPLG and Interior Designer established in Laos in 1989. He’s one of the first foreigners arrived in Laos still under the Soviet-Union era prior Laos opening to international development funding organization programs and private sector investments.

This very early arrival allowed Francois Greck to witness and learn about traditional Lao society and various Lao hill tribes pristine culture prior the fast changing development period Laos get into in the early 90’s.

Prior Francois Greck created his architecture firm in 1993, he spent his first four years studying Lao traditional architectures and cultures which allowed him to get an exceptional social and scientific knowledge about Lao society and culture.

Meanwhile, from 1991 to 1993 François Greck developed a project of universitary cooperation between the high school of building and architecture (École Supérieure du Bâtiment et de l’Architecture – ESBA) in Vientiane and the high shcool of architecture of Montpellier (École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Montpellier – ENSAM) in France, which allows, through university exchanges:
– in Vientiane, the creation of architecture and fine arts courses
– in France, the training of Lao architects and town planners

Graduated as Architect DPLG in France, his research project on Laos was funded by LAVOISIER bursary program of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, implementing his Master at La Sorbonne University of Paris in 1993 : “The History of Indochina Civilizations” under the direction of Pr. P.B. LAFONT, Director of the French National Center of Research (CNRS 1075): Master “Some traditional architectures of North Laos”.

These 3 years architecture and ethnology scientific research in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Sciences of Lao PDR. allowed Francois Greck to study and learn about Lao and various Tibeto-Burmese hill tribes architectures and culture traditions. During this scientific research period Francois, Greck did several journeys in South East Asia, Himalayas and China regions during which he witnessed several cultural and historical links with various ethnic groups populations of Laos.

Beginning with humble research projects on Lao architecture heritage, Francois Greck contributed since the early 90’s in raising the importance of Lao heritage and cultures preservation needs and promoting it in Laos and abroad, through several scientific international conferences and exhibitions he took part in as a lecturer invited to present Laos at international symposiums on Asian cultures organized by The Asia Society, The Getty Institute of Conservation and The Siam Society. (See Symposiums reports in Heritage Preservation menu).

In 1993 and 1994, Francois Greck used his knowledge about Laos for rural development socioeconomic studies on hill tribes groups for UNDP.

In 1994 François Greck was hired by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Lao PDR and funded by the French Ministry of Culture, French Embassy and UNESCO, to implement the world heritage nomination file of Luang Prabang ancient kingdom capital for which he managed the experts team to:

• Identify and classify the civil and religious architecture heritage typologies and monuments
• The royal city unique town planning historical development that mixed the original Lao town organization with the French colonial administration, Vietnamese and Chinese cultural influences.
• Elaborate the conservation urban regulations of the city heritage zone

The LuangPrabang nomination file submitted to ICOMOS inspection was allowed as candidate to UNESCO World Heritage site and got nominated in Berlin in December 1995.

Francois Greck was the tenth foreigner awarded by the Laos National Congratulations by his Excellency Hosakhan Thammatheva Minister of the Ministry of Information and Culture of Lao P.D.R. in 1996.

In 2005, funded by Kundstaedter Foundation (USA), he published the Luang Prabang World Heritage studies in the book “Luang Prabang, an Architectural Journey” displaying an exceptional range of ink drawings.

Ateliers de la Peninsule architects keeping developing their expertise in both conservation of Asian architecture heritage and contemporary architecture design, François Greck decided to create the Peninsula Engineering firm in 2006 to provide the firm clients projects with all services in house building engineering.

The long-term clients of the firm developing projects in South East Asia region allowed François Greck to expand internationally the firm activities from 2006, designing projects in Myanmar and Thailand.

The large South East Asia heritage preservation expertise Francois Greck made at his first beginning in Asia, added to his passion about antiques, made him internationally known as an architect and interior designer taking his inspiration from original Asian culture arts to develop his exclusive design creations in both traditional and contemporary styles.

This precious experience has made Francois Greck today the most experienced architect in Laos and his both architecture and engineering services firms having the largest records of project design and project construction management in Laos.

Francois Greck built his interior designer strong reputation on creating projects offering a impressive range of outstanding and exclusive design lines of furniture, lamps, door handles, etc., for world leading luxury hospitality brands as Orient-Express Trains, Cruises and hotels, ACCOR Group with whom he has done significant realizations allowing Ateliers de la Peninsule recognition among leading designer signatures by the international press specialized in interior decoration and the Association of Lao Architect and Civil Engineer which awarded him as the luxury hotel architect & interior designer of the year 2009 for Orient Express hotel La Residence Pou Vao in Luang Prabang.

The Laos leading architecture and engineering service firms Ateliers de la Peninsule and Peninsula Engineering also recorded projects in various specific fields as commercial, educational, health care, rural development, industrial and luxury dwellings and were able to develop long term professional architect and engineering services with diplomatic representations and international funding organizations as United Nations, World Bank Group, Asian Bank of Development, Agence Française de Développement, and European Union for which they constantly aim for excellence in delivering engineering quality projects solutions to match with international building standards and expectations in term of innovative environment sustainable architecture design concepts.

The projects references of Ateliers de la Peninsule and Peninsula Engineering show that we develop long term business relationships with our clients by assisting them in developing new projects that will match with the architectural and urban constraints and adapted to the economic and social context of the South East Asia countries.
Francois Greck architect DPLG, who has been involved in the Lao building sector for more than 26 years, was appointed from 2006 to 2009 as “Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur” de la France (French Foreign Trade Advisor) along with the Economic Counselor of the French embassy in Lao PDR, to advise the French companies willing to settle in Lao PDR.

Today Ateliers de la Peninsule & Peninsula Engineering provide in Laos an unprecedented level of expertise with the Lao and international architects and engineers who also provide our clients a fluent Lao language assistance which facilitates their project development follow up, with the Lao Government administrations and their construction project management, with Lao contractors whom our firm assists by updating their construction administrative management to international standards.