On a clear day, sunlight streams through the translucent facade of Higgins Hall as students and faculty carrying backpacks and laptops head to different floors for courses and projects within the School of Architecture.
Going beyond the building’s lobby, you can get a sense of the school’s scope through a new exhibition in the main gallery displaying recent student work from the BArch and MArch programs. The show features dozens of models and drawings from recent years and outlines the educational journey that students take toward professional licensure, attaining technical expertise and creative fulfillment, as well as an ability to think critically and expansively about the world around them. Visitors can see how the two programs are structured to establish core principles early on and then branch out into diverse specialties.
The exhibition is a window into the school’s high standards as it celebrates its 70th anniversary and takes stock of the work being done by over 900 students in the BArch and MArch professional programs.
Although courses in architecture have been taught since Pratt Institute’s founding in 1887, the Department of Architecture was first created in 1923 and the BArch program first received accreditation in 1948. In 1954, the School of Architecture was formed to house undergraduate and graduate programs that shape the built environment using design, planning, and management. The MArch program received its accreditation in 2005.
The School of Architecture and both professional architecture programs have earned international acclaim for their rigorous education, attracting students worldwide and evolving into one of the largest architecture schools in the United States. From undergraduate students building structures with passive house standards and traveling to Seoul for a bridge design competition to graduate students exploring how aquaculture could transform industrial Brooklyn, advocating for climate education through architectural design, learning from the land in the Catskills, and reenvisioning open streets in Brooklyn, the school is preparing the next generation of designers, planners, and managers of the built environment to address the critical issues of our time—from social justice to the climate crisis.
“As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the formation of the Pratt School of Architecture, it is a good time to reflect on our legacy and values as we forge a path forward to the next 70-plus years,” said Quilian Riano, dean of the School of Architecture. “Right now, we have over 1,100 students in the school in 10 undergraduate and graduate programs who all want to shape the built environment and meet the challenges our society faces today. In our school, students are learning their disciplines with rigor and are given opportunities to apply that knowledge to large problems through interdisciplinarity.”
A number of other events and exhibitions reflect on the school’s decades of accomplishment and look forward to the possibilities ahead. In the fall semester, an exhibition honored the pioneering work of Debora Reiser, one of the first women graduates of the Bachelor of Architecture program. The renowned Colombian architect and urban planner Alejandro Echeverri later visited campus to discuss his efforts to transform Medellín into a safer and more sustainable city, highlighting the school’s ongoing commitment to global dialogue in design and architecture.
As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, Pratt faculty and students are engaging with cutting-edge technologies. Examples of faculty experimentation with artificial intelligence are on display in the Transductions exhibition, which was curated by Jason Vigneri-Beane, professor of undergraduate architecture, Stephen Slaughter, chair of undergraduate architecture, Olivia Vien, adjunct assistant professor of graduate architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design (GA/LA/UD), and Hart Marlow, academic coordinator of the MArch program in GA/LA/UD.
In the weeks ahead, an exhibition curated by Alicia Imperiale, assistant dean of the school of architecture, will explore the school’s 70 years through a detailed timeline, while Theoharis David, professor of undergraduate architecture, is organizing “The Future of Architectural Practice and YOU!” talk to help students navigate an ever-evolving field.
“The Pratt School of Architecture 70 Years+, An Ongoing Story exhibition and subsequent events will be bringing the entire school together, giving us an opportunity to reflect as we plan for the future of our architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, urban and community planning, construction management, environmental management, urban placemaking, and historic preservation programs,” said Riano.
Learn more about the School of Architecture on the News and Events page and through the 70th anniversary lecture series.