Nina Freedman

Nina Freedman has been a visiting lecturer at Cornell NYC AAP since 2009. Her local, national, and international collaborations include architecture, interiors, furniture collections, and installations. As principal of Dreamland Creative Projects (DCP), she explores the intersection of psychology and design. Prior to founding DCP, Freedman was the director for Shigeru Ban, and held positions with Hugh Hardy, Renzo Piano, Richard Meier, and Paul Rudolph. She hosts Whereing: A Podcast about Belonging, Space and Design. Freedman co-founded ArchiteXX, a nonprofit providing co-learning workshops, cross-generational mentorship, and a high school prep program to increase diversity in architecture. She teaches graduate design thesis at Pratt Institute School of Design, and has taught at Stanford University, Parsons School of Design, and in China.

Freedman holds a B.Arch./M.Arch. from the Architectural Association School of Architecture and B.S. of Landscape Architecture from the City College of New York.

Academic Research/Specialty Areas

  • Design (Public, Cultural, Civic, Residential, Installations)
  • Furniture Design and Fabrication 
  • Professional Practice
  • Building Systems
  • Construction Management
  • Project Management

Classes (Selected)

  • ARCH 5203 Independent Study: Internship SeminarIndependent study. Promotes an understanding of the cultural assumptions we bring to the work environment and the effects of cultural differences on the ways in which architecture is practiced. A 5-10 page paper relates the experience of the internship to one or more texts approved by the instructor. Course may be taken more than once, but a maximum of 1 credit may be used to fulfill departmental free elective distribution requirement.
  • Arch 5204: Professional TrainingIndependent study. Promotes an understanding of the cultural assumptions we bring to the work environment and the effects of cultural differences on the ways in which architecture is practiced. A 5-10 page paper relates the experience of the internship to one or more texts approved by the instructor. Course may be taken more than once, but a maximum of 1 credit may be used to fulfill departmental free elective distribution requirement.

Awards, Grants, and Fellowships (Selected)

  • Picturing Space Exhibition, Pomerantz Gallery (2019–20)
  • Space Creative Residency Finalist (2020)
  • Awesome Foundation Grant (2019)
  • JM Eagle Grant (2019)
  • Beverly Willis Foundation Tribune Award (2016)
  • Omega Institute for Holistic Studies Juno Leadership Residency (2013)

Selected Work

  • Five-story gray office building.

    Metar Shutter Houses by Shigeru Ban Architects America. photo / provided

  • Three people on a rooftop, interior spaces below illuminated with pink hue.

    The touring Bayer (AG) Leaps Pavilion, launched at the Summit LA event is a collaboration with Omnicom/Critical Mass (Interactive Media/Video), Nussli (US) LLC Fabrication/Construction. image / provided

  • Silhouetted figures backlit by the image of personthrowing a ball.

    The touring Bayer (AG) Leaps Pavilion. image / provided

  • oval shapes of food, a rectangular surface, shadows, a yellow lattice.

    The Table of Contents furniture collection was developed for communal discussion of art, innovation, and design around a connective collection of tables. "Crater," a part of the collection, is shown.

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