The Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) is the architecture school of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. It is also home to the Masters of Science program in Advanced Architectural Design, Computational Design Practice, Critical Curatorial & Conceptual Practices, Historic Preservation, Real Estate Development, Urban Design, and Urban Planning.
The school's resources include the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, the United States' largest architectural library and home to some of the first books published on architecture, as well as the origin of the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals.Collections & History | Columbia University Libraries
Recent deans of the school include architects James Stewart Polshek (1972–1987), Bernard Tschumi (1988–2003), Mark Wigley (2004–2014), Amale Andraos (2014–2021), Weiping Wu (interim dean, 2022), and Andrés Jaque (2022–present).
History The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation has evolved over more than a century. It was transformed from a department within the Columbia School of Mines into a formal School of Architecture by William Robert Ware in 1881, making it one of the first such professional programs in the country.Chewning, J. A. "William Robert Ware at MIT and Columbia."Journal of Architectural Education, v33 n2 p25-29 Nov 1979
While the number of specialized programs being offered by the school has increased over the years, architecture remains the intellectual core of the school.Why Design Education Matters
Rankings Columbia GSAPP has been ranked #2 of the Top Architecture Graduate Programs five times over the past ten years on Design Intelligences ranking of programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, including in the 2020 rankings.Architecture Graduate School Rankings, America's Top Architecture Schools 2016, referencing "Design Intelligence" as reported by "Architectural Record". Retrieved March 11, 2016.America's Top Architecture Schools 2014 | 2013-11-19 | Architectural RecordNew Leaders in Annual Design School Rankings – DesignIntelligenceTop Architecture Schools of 2018 | 2017-09-01 | Architectural RecordTop Architecture Schools of 2019 | 2018-09-04 | Architectural RecordTop Architecture Schools of 2020 | 2019-10-01 | Architectural Record
Notable faculty
Current faculty
Amale Andraos – founder of WORKac Architects and former dean (2014–2021) Barry Bergdoll – former Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, MoMA Andrew Dolkart – James Marston Fitch Professor of Historic Preservation, former director of the Historic Preservation Program (2008–2016) Kenneth Frampton – Ware Professor of Architecture Emeritus Mario Gooden – director of GSAPP's Master of Architecture Program, founder and director of Mario Gooden Architect PLLC / Mario Gooden Studio Juan Herreros – founder of Abalos & Herreros Steven Holl – founder and principal of Steven Holl Architects Andrés Jaque – dean of GSAPP, director of its Advanced Architectural Design Program, founder and principal of Office for Political Innovation Laura Kurgan – director of GSAPP's Computational Design Program and director of the Center for Spatial Research Reinhold Martin – former director of the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture Mary McLeod – co-curator of the exhibition Charlotte Perriand: Interior Equipment Kate Orff – director of GSAPP's Architecture and Urban Design Program, founder and principal of SCAPE Jorge Otero-Pailos – director of GSAPP's Historic Preservation Program Richard Plunz – director of Urban Design Lab at the Earth Institute and former director of GSAPP's Architecture and Urban Design Program Michael Rock – founder of 2 x 4, director of Graphical Arch Studies Karla Maria Rothstein – director of Columbia University's DeathLAB; co-founder of Latent Productions Hilary Sample – founder and principal of MOS Architects Felicity Scott – co-director of GSAPP's Critical, Curatorial, and Conceptual Practices in Architecture Program Galia Solomonoff – architect of Dia:Beacon museum and founding creative director of Solomonoff Architecture Studio Bernard Tschumi – designed Alfred Lerner Hall, Columbia's student center, former dean (1988–2003) Julia Watson – author of Lo-TEK Mark Wigley – directed the exhibition "Deconstructivist Architecture" at MoMA with Philip Johnson, former dean (2004–2014) Gwendolyn Wright Weiping Wu – director of GSAPP's Urban Planning Program and former interim dean
Former faculty
Charles Abrams Stan Allen – former dean of Princeton School of Architecture Tatiana Bilbao William A. Boring Peter Cook – member of Archigram Harvey Wiley Corbett Mark Cousins – director of the History/Theory Department at the AA London Manuel de Landa (adjunct) Neil Denari Hernan Diaz Alonso James Marston Fitch Frank Gehry Romaldo Giurgola Percival Goodman Sigurd Grava Zaha Hadid Alfred Dwight Foster Hamlin Wallace Harrison Thomas Hastings Henry Hornbostel Malo Huston – dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia (2021–present) Bjarke Ingels Gerhard Kallmann Ada Karmi-Melamede Michael David Kirchmann – founder and CEO of GDSNY Austin W. Lord – dean 1912–1915 Greg Lynn Peter Marcuse Charles Follen McKim Michael McKinnell James Stewart Polshek – former dean of Columbia's architecture school; his projects include the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock; the Santa Fe Opera's Crosby Theatre in New Mexico; and 500 Park AvenueJennifer Gould Keil (January 16, 2019), "World Trade Center developer sells 500 Park Ave. pad for $9M", New York Post near Billionaires' Row in Manhattan Philippe Rahm Hani Rashid – co-founder of Asymptote Architecture Jaquelin T. Robertson Michael Sorkin Robert A.M. Stern – former dean of Yale School of Architecture; his recent projects include the Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown;Stefanos Chen (June 15, 2018), "Larry Silverstein Flees the 'Old Fogeys' of Midtown", The New York TimesDana Schulz (January 11, 2017), "First look at the $30M penthouse at Robert A.M. Stern's 30 Park Place", 6sqft the Harvard Business School's Bloomberg Center; and the Harvard Kennedy School's Rubenstein, Ofer, and Wexner buildings(December 1, 2017), "Harvard Kennedy School of Government Celebrates Newly Renovated Campus", Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP Raymond Unwin Lauretta Vinciarelli William Robert Ware – designed numerous Venetian Gothic buildings for Harvard University Michael Webb – member of Archigram
Notable alumni
Max Abramovitz (1931) – 1961 Rome Prize; designed Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the United Nations complex, and the Assembly Hall Abraham H. Albertson (1895) – early 20th-century architect in Seattle, Washington David Aldrich – artist and architect Grosvenor Atterbury (1884) – worked for Columbia campus architects McKim, Mead & White; designed Forest Hills Gardens Richard F. Bach (1909) – curator of industrial arts at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtFinding aid for the Richard F. Bach records (1913–1953). Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Turpin Bannister (M.S. 1928) – one of the leading American architectural historians of his generation Donn Barber (post-graduate architectural courses) – architect William A. Boring – architect; co-designed the Immigration Station at Ellis Island in New York Harbor Temple Hoyne Buell – designed over 300 buildings in Colorado; designed the first ever shopping mall Roger Bullard – architect who designed America's Little House and Salutation Paul Byard (M.S.) – lawyer and architect Rosario Candela (B.A. 1915) – Italian-American architect; known for apartment building designs in New York City Eric Cantor (M.S. 1989) – congressman from Virginia and United States House majority leader Minsuk Cho – founder of Mass Studies Brad Cloepfil – architect, educator Jonas Coersmeier – award-winning architect and designer; finalist and first runner-up in the World Trade Center Memorial Competition William Adams Delano (1896) – architect, partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich Andrew Dolkart (M.S. 1977) – authority on the preservation of historically significant architecture Harry E. Donnell (Ph. B. 1887) – Beaux-Arts architect who designed The Grand Madison Alden B. Dow (B.A. 1931) – architect; known for his prolific architectural design Boris Dramov (M.Arch. 1970) – architect, urban designer, and President of ROMA Design Group Peter Eisenman (1960) – designed the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin Doug Farr (M.Arch. 1970) – architect and urban planner Martin Felsen (1994) – co-founder of UrbanLab; 2009 Latrobe Prize from the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows Nabil Gholam (M.S. in Urban Planning 1988) – architect, founder of award-winning architecture firms in Beirut Romaldo Giurgola (M.Arch) – Italian-American-Australian academic architect, professor, and author Philip L. Goodwin (1912) – co-designer of the original Museum of Modern Art, New York Ferdinand Gottlieb (1953) – designed the original Rizzoli Bookstore Frances Halsband (M.S.) – architect who has served on juries for design awards and chaired the 1999 American Institute of Architects Committee on Design Michael Hansmeyer (M.S.) – post-modern architect; utilizes algorithmic architecture techniques, generative art mentalities, and CAD software to generate complex structures Arthur Loomis Harmon (1902) – co-designed Empire State Building; design partner of the firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon James Monroe Hewlett (Ph. B. 1890) – painted the celestial mural in the Grand Central Terminal, father-in-law of inventor Buckminster Fuller Henry Hornbostel (Ph. B. 1891) – architect who designed the campus for Carnegie Mellon University and Emory University John Ike – architect and partner of Ike Kligerman Barkley architectural firm Mitchell Joachim (M. Arch. 1997) – innovator in ecological design, architecture, and urban design Jeh V. Johnson (M. Arch. 1958) – architect, co-founder of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and taught at Vassar College for many years Rockwell Kent (1902) – painter Robert Kohn (1890) – designed Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, the world's largest synagogue Joseph Kosinski (1999) – directed Tron: Legacy; best known for his computer graphics and computer generated imagery work Sylvia Lavin – a leading figure in contemporary architectural history, theory, and criticism V. Everit Macy (1893) – industrialist and philanthropist; benefactor to Teachers College, Columbia University Geeta Mehta – Indian-American social entrepreneur, urban designer, architect and author Aaron Neubert (M.Arch 1997) – Los Angeles-based architect and educator; founding principal of ANX and Fellow of the American Institute of Architecture Lewis F. Pilcher (1895) – state architect of New York in the 1910s John Russell Pope (1894) – Rome Prize; designed the National Archives and the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC Antoine Predock (B. Arch.) – architect, Rome Prize (1985); AIA Gold Medal (2006), National Design Award (2007) Wallace A. Rayfield (B. Arch. 1899) – the second formally educated practicing African-American architect in the United States Charles Renfro (1994) – principal, Diller Scofidio + Renfro; among the first architects to win a MacArthur Prize "genius grant" Marcus T. Reynolds (1893) – architect who designed the SUNY System Administration Building and The Albany Academy James Rossant (1928–2009) – architect; best known for his master plan of Reston, Virginia, Lower Manhattan Plan, and UN-sponsored master plan for Dodoma, Tanzania Friedrich St. Florian (M. Arch. 1961) – Austrian–American architect; Rome Prize; National World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C.