David Costanza

David Costanza is the principal of David Costanza Studio, a design-build practice based in Ithaca, New York, and director of the Building Construction Lab at Cornell University AAP, which he founded in 2020. Through his practice, research, and teaching, Costanza aims to “question how architects can operate as engaged participants in the act of making,” in his own words. Costanza’s portfolio engages with a broad spectrum of design processes, from computational design tools, to tectonically experimental public installations, to sustainability-oriented residential work.

Recent projects include:

• Polycarb House This retrofit of an existing dwelling is an experimental project focused on improving building performance while limiting operational carbon emissions. 
• Shared Beds, with Piergianna Mazzocca, A winning collaborative project for the 2019 Ragdale Ring Competition, this installation comprises three interactive communal “beds” that each rest on a tipped axis, inviting collaborative, playful engagement.
• Closed Loop Both public installation and materials research, this robotically 3D-printed bench is made of bioplastic, plastic derived from renewable sources, and sits along primary pedestrian routes within Cornell University’s campus.

David Costanza holds associates degrees in Science in Architecture and Applied Science in Architecture from Salt Lake Community College’s Architectural Technology Department, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning. He earned a MArch with a concentration in computation and a Master of Science in Architecture Building Technology from MIT School of Architecture and Planning

Costanza is currently an assistant professor at Cornell University AAP. In 2023, he was awarded the Emerging Faculty Award by the Building Technology Educators’ Society. Among other grants, fellowships, and awards, Costanza was named the 2025 Lily Auchincloss Rome Prize Fellow in Architecture by the American Academy in Rome.

Learn more about David Costanza

• AAP Faculty David Costanza Named 2024–25 Rome Prize Winner, Cornell AAP News
• 2023 Emerging Faculty Award, Building Technology Educators’ Society
• David Costanza and Piergianna Mazzocca’s Shared Beds, Texas Architect

Support

The Architectural League Prize is made possible by Judlowe, Tischler und Sohn, and Delta Millworks. 

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Support is also provided by the Next Generation Fund, which supports the League’s investment in early-career architects and designers and provides unified support for the League Prize, Emerging Voices, and the League’s Student and Mentorship Programs, and by the J. Clawson Mills Fund of The Architectural League. League Prize public programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.