Mohsen Mostafavi (born 1954 in

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Region, Isfahan Province, Iran. It is lo ...

) is an

Iranian-American Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship. Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busine ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

. Mostafavi is currently the Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor of Design at the

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...

. From 2008 through 2019, Mostafavi served as the school's dean.

Career

Mostafavi received a

Bachelor of Architecture The Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) is a bachelor's degree designed to satisfy the academic requirement of practising architecture around the world. Australia Architectural education in Australia varies depending on the university offering th ...

from the

Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

in 1976. He would later teach at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, the

Städelschule The Städelschule (), Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, is a tertiary school of art in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It accepts about 20 students each year from 500 applicants, and has a total of approximately 150 students of visual a ...

, the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

, and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. On January 1, 2008, Mostafavi was named Dean and Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor of Design at the

Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...

. He had previously been the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean and Arthur L. and Isabel B. Wiesenberger Professor in Architecture at the

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. Mostafavi also serves on the

steering committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

of the

Aga Khan Award for Architecture The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the field ...

. He has served on the design committee of the London Development Agency and the

Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is gi ...

. Mostafavi was the head of the

LafargeHolcim Awards for Sustainable Construction The Holcim Awards is an international competition that seeks projects and visionary concepts in sustainable construction – irrespective of scale. A total of USD $2 million in prize money is awarded in each three-year cycle. Eligible for en ...

for Europe in 2005, for the global jury in 2006, and for North America in 2008.

Works

*''On Weathering: The Life of Buildings in Time'', with David Leatherbarrow, 1993, *''Manuel Brullet'', with Josep Quetglas, 1998, *''Approximations: The Architecture of Peter Märkli'', 2002, *''Surface Architecture'', 2002, *''Landscape Urbanism: A Manual for the Machinic Landscape'', 2003, *''Implicate and Explicate: Aga Khan Award for Architecture'', 2011, *''Nicholas Hawksmoor: London Churches'', with Hélène Binet, 2013, *''Ecological Urbanism'', with Gareth Doherty, 2015, *''Urbanismo ecológico en América Latina'', with Gareth Doherty, Marina Correia, Ana Maria Duran Calisto, and

Giannina Braschi Giannina Braschi (born February 5, 1953) is a Puerto Rican poet, novelist, dramatist, and scholar. Her notable works include ''Empire of Dreams'' (1988), ''Yo-Yo Boing!'' (1998) ''and United States of Banana'' (2011). Braschi writes cross-genr ...

, 2019, . * ''

IJP The Book of Surfaces ''IJP the book of surfaces'' is a book by George L. Legendre, with a foreword by Mohsen Mostafavi. Overview ''IJP the Book of Surfaces'' was released in 2003 by the publishing arm of the London-based Architectural Association School of Archit ...

'' forward for the book by George L. Legendre, 2003,

Personal life

Mostafavi is married to Homa Farjadi, who is currently principal of Farjadi Architects and Professor of Practice at the

School of Design.

References

External links

Harvard profile
1954 births Living people People from Isfahan American people of Iranian descent Iranian expatriate academics Iranian architects Architectural theoreticians Alumni of the Architectural Association School of Architecture University of Pennsylvania faculty Cornell University faculty Harvard Graduate School of Design faculty {{Architect-stub