We recently sat down with Amale Andraos, co-founder of WORKac, about her past year as the new dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP). Appointed as the University’s dean in September 2014, Andraos has made steps to improve the program’s connectivity within itself and challenge students and faculty with considering the role of discourse in architecture.
Her firm, WORKac, is notable for its work in architecture, urbanism, preservation and modes of discourse. Their book, 49 Cities, examines various urban strategies worldwide and throughout history, while their exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Biennial, a set of reproduced drawings by Ant Farm, demonstrates abstract, alternate modes of living in addition to an off-the-wall look at communicating architecture. As the new dean, Andraos has restructured Columbia University’s GSAPP to better tackle these issues, adding time for discussion within studios and funding a research centre for recent alumni to continue working.
You can see many recordings of the lectures, seminars and symposia held at Columbia University by following their YouTube channel, or via their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
