Amale Andraos

Andraos (born 1973) is a New York-based designer. She was dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (2014-2021) and serves as advisor to the Columbia Climate School. She is the co-founder of the New York City architecture firm WORKac with her husband, Dan Wood. Her impact on architectural practice around the world was recognized when she was named Honorary Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in 2021.
Born: 1973, Beirut, Lebanon
Nationality: American, Lebanese
Alma mater: McGill University (B. Arch, 1996)
Harvard University (M.Arch., 1999)
Occupation: Architect
Practice: Work Architecture Company
Projects: Centre de Conferences in Libreville, Gabon
New Holland Island Cultural Centre Masterplan
Edible Schoolyards at PS216 in Brooklyn and PS7 in Harlem, NY Wieden+Kennedy New York HQs, Stealth Building
Miami Museum Garage
RISD Student Centre
Career:
Andraos has taught at Princeton University School of Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design, the University of Pennsylvania School of Design and the American University in Beirut. In 2014, she was named dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. She was the first woman to hold that position. Her publications include We Will Get There When We Cross That Bridge (Monacelli Press, 2017),The Arab City: Architecture and Representation (Columbia Books on Architecture and the city, 2016), 49 Cities (Inventory Press, 3rd edition, 2015), and Above the Pavement, the Farm! (Princeton Architectural Press, 2010).
Andraos was named one of the "25 Most Admired Educators for 2016" by DesignIntelligence, which describes her as integrating "real world problems into the curriculum with a bold vision and strong leadership." Furthermore, she recently served as an Advisor on Columbia University’s Climate Initiatives and for the newly-launched Climate School. Andraos is recognized as a thought leader, contributing widely to the field through her lectures and writings.
Andraos founded WORKac with her husband Dan Wood in 2003. The practice is based in New York City, with projects in the U.S. and abroad.
Design philosophy:
Sustainability
Amale Andraos has dedicated her career to sustainability in its truest sense. She believes that while technology and the use of “green” materials are important, we cannot rely solely on them. As a result, she is more interested in engaging in core aspects such as scale, program re-writing, infrastructure re-imagining, and interactions with culture, narrative, and art. And believes that all of these factors are vital if we want our lives to be sustainable.
Luxury
Luxury, according to Amale Andraos, is a great word to reinvent. There’s a long history of doing so. Luxury was reinvented as a pure function by modernism. Sustainability-thinking about the built environment’s relationship to climate change at all scales-is also a luxury for her. So she thinks it is a very urban concept, designing in a sustainable way that isn’t just about advanced technologies but also about density issues.
She thinks that as architects, we need to improve our capacity to think relationally, whether we are studying history, a specific urban context, or re-inventing an architectural typology. We also need to think at multiple scales at the same time as we figure out how to build better teams capable of tackling issues such as climate change, designing resilient infrastructure, imagining more equitable cities, and creating more meaningful architecture.
As Amale Andraos, past dean of Columbia GSAPP and co-founder of Workac, states, “There is so much available to be reinvented. The definition of success is up for grabs.”
Quotes:
“Architecture is a strange field where we’re constantly asked to demonstrate over and over why design matters, to everyone, all the time. It’s exhausting.”
“We have been fortunate to partner with an extraordinary team of architects, engineers, city representatives, and a bold client, all of whom demonstrate a true commitment to ecological sensitivity as well as a deep understanding of the public social realm of this growing city. It has been an inspiring process unlike any other.”
“I think the challenge is to open up more possibilities. So I’m very - optimistic is the wrong word - but I’m very excited by the possibilities.”