Thomas Phifer will present his work in a public lecture to be followed by a conversation with moderator Susan Rodriguez.

Thomas Phifer, who founded his New York City-based firm Thomas Phifer and Partners in 1997, “approaches modernism,” in his own words, “from a humanistic standpoint, connecting the built environment to the natural world with a heightened sense of openness and community spirit that is based on a collaborative, interdisciplinary process.” The firm’s work includes the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh and the Brochstein Pavilion at Rice University in Houston, as well as a number of residential commissions in the Hudson River Valley.

Current projects, designed with “a natural economy of elements through order grounded in nature and predicated on conservation” include an expansion of the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York; a new museum for the Glenstone Foundation in Potomac, Maryland; a Federal Office Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and houses in Madison, Wisconsin and Dallas.

The firm’s buildings have received numerous AIA National and New York Honor Awards. Phifer has received the Medal of Honor from the New York Chapter of the AIA, the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome, and, in 2013, the Arts and Letters Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.  He has taught at numerous architecture schools including Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Texas.

Moderated by Susan Rodriguez. Rodriguez is a founding partner and design principal at Ennead Architects and is a member of the League’s Board of Directors.

Support

This lecture is co-sponsored by The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.