Francois Valentiny (Luxembourg)

The DeTao Master Francois Valentiny Studio


François Valentiny was born in 1953 in Remerschen, Luxembourg. He completed a carpentry apprentice at the Athénée Royal de Virton, Belgium in 1970. After graduating from the Institut de Technologie de Luxembourg, he studied architecture at the University of Nancy (France) from 1975-1976 and at the Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna (Austria) from 1976 until 1980. In 1980 he completed his studies at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna as a Magister architecturae with distinction and received an award for extraordinary achievements from the Federal Ministry of Science and Research in Vienna for his diploma thesis.

In the same year François Valentiny founded together with his study colleague and future partner in office Hubert Hermann Hermann & Valentiny Architects (H&V). The young office won the mandate to build for the Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) in Berlin. From 1980 to 1981 Valentiny was an assistant at the International Summer Academy in Salzburg (AT). From 1987 to 1992 H&V were guest lectures at the University of Science at the Department of Architecture in Trier, Germany. In 1991 H&V became Luxembourg’s first representatives at the Venice Biennale of Architecture.  From 1991 to 1994 Valentiny was Member of the Architectural Committee, the Gestaltungsbeirat of the City of Salzburg, Austria.

From 2000 to 2003 François Valentiny was a professor at the University of Applied Sciences and Art at Leipzig, Germany.  From 2000 to 2005 he became a member of the advisory committee to the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) in Frankfurt. During this time, he published in collaboration with Editpress the first edition of the architecture magazine adato. From 2003 to 2007 Valentiny was a member of the administration committee of the Fondation de l′Architecture et de l′Ingénierie à Luxembourg (today LUCA, Luxembourg Center for Architecture) which’s president he became from 2006 to 2007. 2004- 2006 François Valentiny was Luxembourg’s commissioner for the Venice Architecture Biennale.

In 2006 the opera building, das Kleinen Festspielhaus „Haus für Mozart“ in Salzburg was inaugurated.

Three years later François Valentiny became a member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften und Künste in Salzburg.

In 2010 Valentiny hvp architects & partners designed the "green heart of Europe" pavilion for the World Expo in Shanghai. Since 2011 François Valentiny has been a professor for "Community Planning and Green Architectural Design" at the DeTao Masters Academy (DTMA) and the Shanghai Visual Arts Institute (SIVA) in China.

In 2011 Francois Valentiny founded together with Sabine and Carlo Lovatelli, Dominique and Reinold Geiger the "Musica em in Trancoso - MeT" festival in Bahia (Brazil). Three years later the building of the “Teatro l’Occitane“ that should from now on house the festival was inaugurated.

In 2014 the Studio Valentiny hvp architects & partners was founded in Shanghai, China. In the same year the Valentiny Foundation in Remerschen opened its doors to the public.


Selected Awards to François Valentiny

1980 Award for extraordinary achievements from the Federal Ministry of Science and Research in Vienna

for Valentiny’s diploma thesis

2007 The "Luxembourg Architecture Prize” for his extraordinary contribution to the building culture in Luxembourg

2007 Goldenes Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich for his extraordinary achievements for the planning of the opera house Haus für Mozart in Salzburg (Austria)

2016 One of „100 architects of the year 2016” by the Korean Institute of Architects & UIA

2017 Honourable Membership OBEC Architektu Society of Czech Architects Prague

2018  Grand Decoration of Merit of Land of Salzburg, Austria

2021   Honory distinction from Grand Ducal Ministry of the Culture


Awards to the Office Valentiny hvp architects

1988 Award for the most beautiful steel construction by the CBLIA Staalprijs-Brussels, Belgium for the Customs station on the motorway Luxembourg-Trier

1994 German State Prize in the field of planning and design

1989 Luxembourg Architecture Prize for the best concrete construction

1995 Architecture Prize of the Fondation de l‘Architecture et de l‘Ingénierie for the Embassy of Luxembourg in Vienna, Austria

1995 "Architekturpreis Sachsen-Anhalt" for the hotel complex in Halle-Neustadt, Germany

1998 Luxembourg Architecture Prize for the best concrete construction

2003 "Light Architecture Award Germany" for the Rackey Art Gallery in Bad Honnef, Germany

2004 "Preis für Vorbildliche Kommerzielle Architektur in Nordrhein-Westfalen" for the Rackey Art Gallery in Bad Honnef, Germany

2008 "Bauhärepräis" by the OAI Luxembourg for the Marxen House in Machtum, Luxembourg

2011 "Architecture Award Construction Building Contractor” by Infosteel for the Luxembourg pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai, China

2012 "Bauhärepräis" by the OAI Luxembourg for the CNI Les Thermes in Strassen, Luxembourg

2012 Award "Most Innovative Waterpark in Europe" by the European Waterpark Association for the CNI Les Thermes in Strassen, Luxembourg

2015 Steel Construction Award 2015 by Infosteel for the KPMG building in Luxembourg

2015 “European Award for Outstanding Steel Construction of ECCS” for the KPMG building in Luxembourg

2016 "Bauhärepräis" by the OAI Luxembourg for the Biodiversum in Remerschen, Luxembourg

2016 "Holzbaupreis Eifel 2016" for the Biodiversum in Remerschen, Luxembourg

2016 Honorary distinction "Cruz Europea de Oro" by the Fundaciòn de Fomento Europeo Barcelona, Spain


2017 "Waterfront Award" by the "Wan Awards" for the "Música em Trancoso" in Bahia, Brazil

2017 Second Place for the Energy & Temperate Climates Award of the Green Solutions International Awards for the Biodiversum in Remerschen, Luxembourg

2017 Green Solutions National Award 2017 for the Biodiversum in Remerschen, Luxembourg

2017 Designaward Luxembourg for the Biodiversum in Remerschen, Luxembourg

2017 Material Preis von raumPROBE for the Biodiversum in Remerschen, Luxembourg

2017 Nomination for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2017 for the Ecology Center “Haff Remich”, Biodiversum in Remerschen, Luxembourg

2019 Two Steel Construction Awards (Prix du Public & Prix du Jury) by Infosteel for the Luxembourg Learning Center, Esch-Belval, Luxembourg

2019 Luxembourg Architecture Awards, Audience Award for the Luxembourg Learning Center, Esch-Belval, Luxembourg