Archinect - News

Pratt School of Architecture announces Harriet Harriss will be stepping down as Dean

2022-07-26T15:40:00-04:00

Pratt Institute Provost Donna Heiland has announced the departure of Harriet Harriss as the School of Architecture's dean in an email sent to the Pratt community. Harriss was the second female dean to lead the school after Frances Halsband, who served from 1991–94.

While a response from Harriss hasn't been provided to the public, Provost Heiland commented: "I write to share the news that, after three years leading the School of Architecture, Dean Harriet Harriss will — prior to the fall semester — transition into a leave to pursue research and will subsequently join the faculty," adding, "This transition will allow her [Harriss] to focus on advancing her expertise in the intersection of climate justice pedagogy, practice, and policy in service to the School's strategic agenda and strength in this area."

At the beginning of her tenure as dean in 2019, I had the chance to chat with Harriss for Archinect's Deans List series. We discussed her pedagogical stance on architectural educatio...

Writing Women Into History: A Curated Reading List Tackles the 'Imbalance' of Female Voices Within Architecture

2021-03-08T18:00:00-05:00

With information available at our fingertips, discovering resources like a list of female architects, for example, should be a breeze. However, like most professions, these texts and resources were often written and curated by male writers. In 2021, female writers and curators continue to reclaim their place within academia, architectural history, and professional practice by writing themselves into the canon they have been excluded from.

If you look up "female architecture writers" on Google, the first search result is a blog created by architect, writer, researcher, and academic Dr. Harriet Harriss titled "Women Who Write Architecture."

Featured on Archinect: New website champions the remarkable contributions made by 50 pioneering women in architecture. Alice Constance Austin, one of the women featured on the site, showing model of house to Llano del Rio colonists, May 1, 1917. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

In 2019 I interviewed Dr....

What will the future of architectural education look like?

2020-10-15T14:47:00-04:00

It's safe to say that nobody knows what the future of architectural education will be. These days it's hard to know what next month will bring us. Few people would argue, however, that academia is ripe for change, as are many facets of modern life that have not evolved at the pace the world has changed in recent decades.

To address this necessary change, we invite you to join us for a special discussion this upcoming Monday, from 1-2 pm EST / 10-11 am PST, featuring a distinguished panel of leaders of architectural education. Deans from across the country will be addressing, head-on, the change they hope to see, and the challenges they currently face to make that change.

To RSVP for this virtual panel, please click the "reserve" button at this link. Space is limited and registration is required to attend.

The Panelists

Hernán Díaz Alonso has been the director of the Southern California Institute of Architecture since 2015, where is held the position of distinguished faculty membe...

Today's Virtual Events cover issues of smart cities, design education, and the architecture of healthcare

2020-05-12T08:00:00-04:00

The online events happening today, as featured in Archinect's Virtual Event Guide, all address the challenges we're currently facing and how that will impact architects working in areas of new technology, education and healthcare.

Are you hosting a virtual lecture? Presentation? Tour? Interview? Happy Hour? Submit it for consideration by clicking here.

Are you an expert in an arena that's especially important right now? Let us know if you would like to work with Archinect to host an online event.

Smart cities: Resiliency Strategies in a challenging world
Tuesday, May 12, 2020 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
This webinar explores how smart cities and its associated innovations can be leveraged to respond to and recover from crises, including pandemics.
Click here to attend and/or register

Creating a Bright Tomorrow: Design Education for a New Sustainable World
Tuesday, May 12, 2020 | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
Join Cooper Hewitt for a riveting discussion with designers, educators, and students ...

Pratt Institute Names Dr. Harriet Harriss as the new School of Architecture Dean

2019-06-07T14:17:00-04:00

New York's Pratt Institute has announced Dr. Harriet Harriss as the new School of Architecture Dean. Dr. Harriss currently leads the Post-Graduate Research Program in Architecture and Interior Design at the Royal College of Art in London. Before working at the Royal College, Dr. Harriss led the MArchD at Oxford Brookes University and has previously taught in the U.S at Columbia University, New York Institute of Technology, University of Detroit, Mercy, and Parsons The New School.

Dr. Harriss has made her mark on within the profession by pushing the boundaries of design education, research, and writing. Her focus on diversity and inclusivity within architecture led her to co-founding Design Heroine Architecture in 2004. The organization focuses on co-designing innovative and collaborative public and private sector projects ranging from schools to corporate learning spaces.

Pratt Institute Provost Kirk E. Pillow shares, "It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of D...