Faculty Profile

James Williamson has won numerous design and teaching awards, including first place in the Shinkenchiku Competition for Japan Architect (juried by Tadao Ando), an ACSA design award, two Graham Foundation grants, the AAP 2006 Martin Dominguez Distinguished Teaching Award, and a Special Commendation for Teaching Excellence from the Escuela de Arquitectura, Universidad de Puerto Rico.  

Williamson, at Cornell since 2001, has taught design and theory at numerous prestigious schools of architecture, including: Harvard University from 1991–98, Rhode Island School of Design, Rice University, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, Columbia University, University of Texas at Austin, and Georgia Institute of Technology from 1985–91.

Williamson received his master of architecture at Cranbrook Academy of Art (under Daniel Libeskind) and studied the history and theory of architecture at the Architectural Association. As an undergraduate, he studied architecture, art, and English literature at Texas Tech University.

• ARCH 1101 / 1102 First Year Design Studio
• ARCH 5902 Thesis

• The Religious Imagination in Modern and Contemporary Architecture: A Reader. Collection of essays cowritten and coedited with Renata Hejduk (2007)
• "The Architecture of Disbelief," contributor and coedited with Mark Morris of a collection of essays from the "Architecture of Disbelief" conference, Cornell University. (Forthcoming)
• The Suicide Maques: Architecture and Urbanism in the late work of John Hejduk. (Forthcoming)

• Martin Dominguez Distinguished Teaching Award, AAP, Cornell (2006)
• Special Commendation for Teaching Excellence, Escuela de Arquitectura, Universidad de Puerto Rico
• Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts Grant, The Religious Imagination in Modern and Contemporary Architecture: A Reader.
• Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts Grant, The House of The Suicide and the House of the Mother of the Suicide”

• The Architecture of Disbelief, exhibition concurrent with the symposium “The Architecture of Disbelief,” cocurated with Mark Morris, Cornell (2008)
• Jose Ouberie and L’eglies Saint-Piere, exhibition of l’Eglise Saint-Piere on Firminy by Le Corbusier highlighting the work of Jose Ouberie, co-organized with Mark Morris, Hartell Gallery, Cornell (2007)
• Sanctuaries: The Last Works of John Hejduk, Michael Hays, curator, James Williamson, invited associate curator, Whitney Museum of Art, New York City (2002)