Architecture

About the Department

Architecture at Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning is about creative and critical design practices that make lasting impact. Balancing rigorous research and scholarship, responsibility for our natural and built environments, we reimagine the world at every scale to build a just and sustainable future for all.

We see design as a process of creative experimentation and iterative analysis, ensuring non-judgmental, holistic, and open-ended inquiry enabled by independent, critical thinking and bold thought leadership. Our undergraduate and graduate programs are designed to support interdisciplinary collaboration and provide an integrated foundation in global history, theory, structures, environmental systems, building technologies, and visual representation, ensuring that our students are equipped with actionable knowledge and the agency to enact change.

Interior of a concrete dome building with architectural models and drawings lining the walls.

Above: An architecture exhibition in Milstein Hall.

May 26–Sep 30

ENCROACH: An Exhibition Exploring Privacy and Exposure in High Density Housing

An exhibition exploring the tensions of privacy in high-density housing, where space is scarce, and boundaries are constantly contested.

Exhibition
Jun 6–Sep 4

AAP Summer Exhibition 2026

Visit AAP this summer for a cross-departmental exhibition featuring student work from the 2025–26 academic year that showcases the college’s creative and critical practices.

Exhibition
Jun 26–Aug 14

Undergraduate Admissions Summer Events 2026

Register for an in-person information session at Cornell AAP or drop in for a casual conversation with an admissions officer.

Admissions
Aug 13–Dec 10

Graduate Admissions Fall 2026 Virtual Events

Join AAP Graduate Admissions this fall for a series of virtual information sessions designed to introduce prospective students to masters programs offered at AAP.

Admissions
Sep 11–Nov 6

Undergraduate Admissions Fall Events 2026

Join us for an in-person admissions information session at Cornell AAP! These sessions will cover our three undergraduate programs, the application process, and admission requirements.

Admissions

Stories Announcing: Building and Unbuilding the City Museum: From Le Corbusier to Ahmedabad

Architecture Associate Professor Lily Chi in collaboration with architect and educator Sarosh Anklesaria (M.Arch. II ’08) coedited this collection of essays examining the cultural center’s ambitious beginning, present precarity, and possible futures.

In the Media A Famed Brooklyn Cemetery Wants You to Come Visit… Before You Die

The New York Times — Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn is opening a $43 million visitor’s center and exhibition hall, designed by Gensler Visiting Critic Kim Yao’s firm Architecture Research Office.

Project Bio-Based Materials Collective 2026

Diagrams and plant materials on a table.

During the 2026 summit convenings, Architecture Lecturer Marta H. Wisniewska gave a talk addressing the construction sector’s heavy impact on the environment, highlighting key research into sustainable alternatives, and led a workshop on the emerging field of mycelium-based building materials.

Stories

Two people stand and look at a table with numerous wooden models.

AAP Students Lend Their Creativity to a New Vision for 4-H Camp

B.Arch. students in the Engaged Practices Design Studio course submitted dozens of ideas for renovating Camp Owahta’s 128-acre site after spending a semester getting to know its uses and potential.

In the Media Europe Has a Major Heat Problem and It’s Only Getting Worse

CNN — Associate Professor of Architecture Timur Dogan comments on how heat trapped inside buildings during European heat waves poses significant public health threats.

In the Media A Portrait of America in 25 Buildings and Monuments

TIME — AAP Gale and Ira Drukier Dean J. Meejin Yoon (B.Arch. ’95) contributes to TIME’s celebration of vibrant urban landscapes across America, nominating the architecture of the immigrant neighborhood.

In the Media The Man Who Built LA

Vanity Fair — Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Architecture Milton S.F. Curry comments on the legacy of Paul R. Williams, a prolific Black architect who was ahead of his time.

In the Media Graham Foundation Grants to Individuals 2026

e-flux — Architecture Assistant Professor María González Pendás and José Ibarra (B.Arch. ’17) have both been announced as recipients of the 2026 Graham Foundation grants for individuals.

Announcements Selected Team and Exhibition for Canada at the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale

headshots including Mark Wasiuta, Theodora Vardouli, and Farzin Lotfi-Jam

Architecture Assistant Professor Farzin Lotfi-Jam will be one of three team members representing Canada at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia with Early Warning Architecture, an exhibition that situates architecture at the center of the most urgent technological, environmental, and geopolitical issues of our time.

Announcements Explore Fall ’26 Classes for Non-Majors at AAP

Expand your disciplinary boundaries and enroll in courses that cultivate connection and catalyze actionable research. Options range from fundamentals to deep dives across architecture, art, city and regional planning, real estate, and design technology.