The Master of Architecture program trains students to become leaders in the professional practice of architecture with innovative methods of design research and inquiry.
Students: Sophy Feldman & Rowan Price Instructor: Alexandra Barker SP23 Studio 4
Master of Architecture at Pratt
The M.Arch curriculum embraces an integrative approach to design that weaves together technical knowledge and creative practice, building science and environmental stewardship, and professional responsibility and equity. We actively engage the pressing climatic and social challenges of our era through rigorous inquiry. Through case studies that leverage the city as our classroom, students develop innovative design strategies that convey a thorough understanding of the way in which architecture shapes the built environment and its communities. As architects, our inquiry extends across all scales of the built environment, from individual buildings to neighborhoods, cities, and all the way to global systems and ecosystems. What connects our intervention across this broad range of scales is our deep commitment to design work that prioritizes the well-being and safety of all life forms.
The Master of Architecture (M.Arch) is a three-year NAAB-accredited, STEM-certified professional program. Our 84-credit, three-year track is designed for students who have completed a bachelor’s degree, including majors other than one of the architectural design professions. This program is also available in a 56-credit, two-year Advanced Standing track. Admission to Advanced Standing is highly competitive and merit-based. Candidates for Advanced Standing are selected by the Architecture Department’s Admissions Committee and the Chair of Graduate Architecture and Urban Design.
The M.Arch program is structured with a core curriculum of design, history-theory, technology, and media courses, followed by an advanced curriculum of applied research and elective courses. The entire curriculum is designed to equip students with the professional knowledge required for becoming a successful architect.
We believe in an integrative approach to architecture. Our curriculum is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the diverse practices and modes of inquiry that converge in the architectural discipline and profession.
In the first three semesters, the core curriculum is structured to coordinate learning across design, technical, historico-theoretical, and media courses. In the fourth semester, this coordinated learning culminates in the Integrative Studio. Unique to the GA/LA/UD, the Integrative Studio combines the teaching of architectural design, building systems, and regulatory compliance into a single course. Collaboration is a fundamental aspect of the Integrative studio: students work on a single architectural project in teams, supported by GA/LA/UD faculty and a cohort of technical consultants from leading New York City firms. During the last two semesters, our M.Arch program further compliments the Integrative Studio with an advanced curriculum of studio and elective courses. In these advanced courses, students engage in directed research projects alongside a diverse group of faculty members from Pratt Institute and the architectural profession at large.
Our integrative approach begins, does not end, with our program. By integrating different modes of architectural knowledge and practice, and engaging audiences both within and outside the architectural professions, our M.Arch program equips graduates with the unique ability to intervene in the complex systems shaping the building and living environment.
Integrative Design:
Our M.Arch students are trained to make complex design decisions that integrate architectural ideas with structural, building, and regulatory systems. Their integrative thinking advances environmental stewardship, social equity, and community resilience in all aspects of design work.
Environmental Design Practice:
Our M.Arch students are trained to embrace their responsibility as stewards of the environment. Their work reflects a deep awareness of architecture’s impact on the living and building environments by integrating research on fragile ecosystems, ecologically responsive technologies, and sustainable materials.
Inclusive and Equitable Design:
Our M.Arch students are trained to view equity, diversity, and inclusion as an integral aspect of design. They understand their responsibility to consider diverse needs, values, and physical abilities in design practices, and act on that understanding by integrating an ethos of equity and inclusion in their architectural solutions.
Design Knowledge:
Our M.Arch students are trained to think critically about architecture’s role in the world. They use cutting-edge design methods, media, and technologies to advance architectural knowledge within the discipline and in culture more broadly.
Collaborative Design:
Our M.Arch students are trained to practice creative leadership that benefits their clients, communities, and society at large. Their design work builds relationships, from collaborations with consultants and industry experts to outreach with community partners and stakeholders.
Design Learning:
Our M.Arch students are trained to ask thought-provoking questions throughout their careers and their lives. They value forms of inquiry and collaborative exploration that deepen their understanding of architecture’s connections to complex systems, including bodies of historical-theoretical knowledge, socio-economic forces, environmental dynamics, and cultural contexts.
Take A Look At How Our Courses Advance Design Research And Thinking
Our faculty are leading practitioners, scholars, and educators, including a distinctive cohort of PhD candidates from top universities who share a common desire to develop each student’s potential and creativity to the fullest. Bringing different views, methods, and perspectives the faculty provide a rigorous educational model in which students make and learn. See all GA/LA/UD faculty and administrators.
Pratt’s department of Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design (GA/LA/UD) balances knowledge and understanding, enhancing your individual capacities to ask often difficult and challenging questions facing the profession and discipline, specifically through design and with audiences outside of architecture and urban design. This program is intended for students holding a four-year undergraduate, nonprofessional degree in any field.
Directed Research
In your final two semesters, the advanced curriculum is focused on Directed Research studios and electives. Among the studios, you might apply to participate in the Studio of Experiments, which is an opportunity to work closely with a visiting faculty member on a directed research topic set by the department chair. Learn more about Directed Research.
Integrative Studio
Unique to the GA/LA/UD, the Integrative Studio is a combined design and integrative building-systems course and brings together a number of related disciplines into a single project, which students develop in teams. An ensemble of technical consultants from world-leading firms in New York City work directly with GA/LA/UD faculty and students on their design projects engaging in facade design, structural design, energy design and more.
Seminars, Lectures & Events
Immersive seminars, lectures and events accompany each semester. They explore contemporary issues in architectural practice and research, and foster discussion between students and prominent scholars. Exhibitions spotlight exceptional faculty and student work, and the student publication offers students opportunities to engage in theoretical, editorial, and writing activities.
Study Abroad
Immersing yourself in another culture is an incredible experience that can extend the boundaries of creativity. Study abroad programs are an integral part of the university experience, and Pratt has deep connections with university partners around the world. In the first, second, or third year, students may elect to participate in one or both of our international programs. See where you can go.
Learning Resources
We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate. Learn about resources.
Our Alumni
Pratt’s distinguished alumni are leading diverse and thriving careers, addressing critical challenges and creating innovative work that reimagines our world.
Career Opportunities:
Graduates from the M.Arch program go on to work in leading architectural firms and other creative fields, both nationally and internationally. Take a look at where some of our recent graduates work:
Where They Work
Architect – Morphosis
Junior Designer – BIG Bjarke Ingels Group
Architectural Designer — Foster + Partners
Director – KPF
Senior Associate – SHoP Architects
Architect – Woods Bagot
Lead Designer – Zaha Hadid Architects
Architectural Designer – UNStudio
Assistant Chair, Interior Design – Pratt Institute
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
LAR601 | Land Studio I: Region Fall 2025 | Professor Mark Heller
The Field School teaches students how to engage with local environmental issues and learn about landscape history. As a part of their first semester studio, they work on skills such as plant identification, hydrological analysis, seed foraging, and habitat creation, and also discuss the complexities of ecological change, settler heritage, and the rich plant and animal life of the Catskills region. They learn how important this region was to creating Brooklyn, and why it continues to sustain life in the city.
The first semester core studio introduces students to landscape design strategies and techniques at the scale of regional dynamics. This is a fundamentals course that reveals landscape through uncertainty with emphasis on watersheds and habitats. The studio attends to changing landscape patterns at multiple temporal and spatial scales; from the scours of geology, to indigenous land-use, forest migration and urban settlements. In Land Studio I, students increase their skills and ability to describe, define and expand environmental dynamics through landscape-specific methods of analysis and assessment, while design is revealed as a process of collaboration across more than human timescales.
Photos and Videos provided by Elliott Maltby and Ursula Barker
@urzulka
#PrattInstitute #PrattSOA #PrattGALAUD #PrattMLA #MLA #LandscapeArchitecture #Landscape #FieldWork #FieldSchool #Catskills
Carlos Arnaiz, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Pratt GA/LA/UD, has co-authored a new book arguing for a form of urban analysis contemplating the “metabolism” of cities.
BOOK LAUNCH: THE METABOLISM OF SETTLEMENT COEXISTENCES
CARLOS ARNAIZ / PETER G. ROWE / CLAIRE DOUSSARD
In our current era, where human activity is the main cause of planetary change, there’s growing concern about how our cities and towns function. Think of a city as having a “metabolism”—it consumes resources to be built and to operate. This book presents a new way to analyze a city’s environmental impact. It introduces a method to track the complete lifecycle of all the materials and energy a city uses. This process follows them from the very beginning, where resources like water, energy, and raw materials are first taken from the environment; through their use, as they are transformed to construct and run the city; and all the way to the very end, to see what happens to them after buildings are demolished and systems are no longer in use. By creating this full “cradle-to-grave” picture, designers and planners can identify key problems—like hidden energy consumption and carbon emissions—and develop innovative solutions to create more efficient and environmentally friendly cities.
Carlos Arnaiz is an architect, educator, writer and urban design consultant. He is the founder and principal of CAZA, the co-founder of SURBA and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the GA/LA/UD at Pratt Institute. Prior to founding CAZA, Carlos was an associate partner at SAA in charge of over 20 global projects. Carlos started his career working as a design associate at a number of world-renowned architecture firms such as Office dA and Field Operations.
@cazarch @oro_editions
#Pratt #PrattInstitute #PrattSOA #PrattGALAUD #booklaunch #architecturebook #artbook #metabolism
ARCH 805 | Advanced Design Research 1: IMPRINTS
Fall 2024| Instructor: Florencia Pita
The studio focuses on ‘imprints’, using this word conceptually as a noun and also as a verb. As a noun, an imprint is an action on a material object that can be coded with markings and textures. These impressions can refer to images or figures; they might be illustrations that serve as remembrances of things.
In the work of Rachel Whiteread, ‘things’ are spaces, specifically the negative spaces that are typically ignored. For this class, the ‘things’ will be extracted textures that we will recalibrate through drawings to transform them into architectural elements. As a verb, the imprint aims to have an effect that transcends material qualities, allowing the architectural space to leave a lasting impression.
The class project will be located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires is lush with nature, where every sidewalk acts as a linear park, featuring myriad planters, trees, patios, and more. Our project will engage this notion of urban nature by connecting the landscape with the architecture. The program of the project will focus on the design of an apartment building.
The material focus of the class will be concrete. We will research various case studies, from historical to contemporary projects, and students will learn the building craft by creating detailed section models of their designs. These models will inform the formal attributes of the project as a whole. Students will also investigate representation, developing intricate drawings that include large-scale plans and sections of the project.
Student Work:
2: Jeter Vasquez and Emily Peres, 3: Rachel Guo and Kaitlyn Rainville, 4: Emily Sardo and Ankit Muhury
@florenciapita
@jeter.psd @emilymperes_design @guo.keqing @kaitlynrain @emmsardo @ankit._.muhury
#Architecture #MArchStudents #PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA #architecturemodel #chunk #chunkmodel #vibrant #modelmaking #apartment #imprints @archdaily @archinect @next_top_architects @superarchitects @designboom @dezeen @architecturefactor
NCKU NY The four-week National Cheng Kung University x Pratt CCA NY Summer Program explored adaptive reuse and climate-responsive design in the context of Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, an industrial waterfront site increasingly vulnerable to sea-level rise. Studio groups engaged with buildings 313, 269, or 131, addressing compound threats through strategies of climate adaptation, adaptive reuse, and programmatic studies within the New York Archipelago. Projects emerged from collective research, site analysis, and speculative design, reimagining the adapted buildings as mixed-use programs. The final proposals emphasized resilience, material performance, and the integration of adaptive reuse as a critical framework for contemporary architectural practice. Program Leadership: Cheng-Luen Hsueh, David Tseng, David Erdman @nckuhsueh @david_erdman_hk Instructors: Poyao Shih, Danielle Kemble, Han Ning Tsai, Wai Tat Cheng @poyaoshih @daniellekemble @hanningts @justin_cheng Students Images 1-3: Hung Yu Chen, Yu Ting Lu, Syu Ning Lin, Yu Heng Liao, Bob Lin Images 4-6: Leah Lee, Tsai-Tung Cheng, Sophia Wang, Sam Tang, Benji Lu @nckuarch_newyork #pratt #prattinstitute #prattgalaud #prattsoa #architecture #architecturephotography #archmodel #nckuarch #ncku #climate #adaptivereuse #design
SPEAKING OF ENVIRONMENTS Thursday, September 25th 6:15 - 8:00 pm, Higgins Hall Auditorium
Speaking of Environments is a rich and unusual conversation between architects and scholars whose work is increasingly engaged with the complexity of environments. Convened by Catherine Ingraham, the conversation will include Andrew Holder, Greg Lynn, Michael Osman, Meredith TenHoor, and Marion Weiss.
#pratt #prattinstitute #prattSOA #prattGALAUD #architectureschool #architecturelecture #academiclecture #lecture #environments #higginshall
IMMERSION STUDIO
Instructors: Olivia Vien and Brook Boughton
This architectural fundamentals course is taught by the Graduate School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design faculty; and is geared toward professionals and students interested in attending graduate architecture school while also focusing on a toolkit for attendees to develop new professional skills.
Through a series of studio sessions, lectures, and technical workshops, the studio introduces students to a series of design approaches to conceptualize architectural investigations using the most current techniques in visualization and methods of remote fabrication. Students typically receive one-to-one technical instruction on digital modeling, drawing representation, rendering, CNC milling, 3D printing, laser cutting, and robotics.
The work culminates in a design exhibition with invited Pratt faculty and documented in an individually developed portfolio that prepares students to apply for graduate architecture school.
Original Model Photography by Michael Ballou
@vienolivia @brook_boughton
#prattinstitute #prattsoa #prattschoolofarchitecture #prattgalaud #prattmarch #prattmsud #prattmsarch #prattmla #masterofarchitecture #architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #archilovers #architecturedesign #photography #architecturemodel #physicalmodel #modelphotography #modelmaking #fabrication #architectureschool #architecturestudent #archistudent #archstudio #designstudio #studiolife #designeducation #studioculture #studentdesign #futurearchitects
PRATT SESSIONS: JOHNSTON MARKLEE Tuesday, September 23rd 6:15 - 8:00 pm, Higgins Hall Auditorium
Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee will join GA/LA/UD Chair Andrew Holder to present a canonical project from their practice as part of the Department’s series of Pratt Sessions. Johnston MarkLee was one of the first American practices to turn away from formal complexity toward the generic, shape, and a broadly inclusive appetite for the history of Modernism. As their work grows in scale and complexity, the office confronts new challenges to discourses that initiated their early career. If JohnstonMarklee projects at the scale of houses combined exterior shape with interior organization to great effect, how do these traits survive the translation to much larger plans and cultural programs?
Pratt Sessions are a format for discourse at the Department of Graduate Architecture, Landscape, and Urban Design. The sessions seek to refine and intensify the event-structures commonly found in the design academy. Whereas lectures desire general audiences for broad overviews or introductions, Pratt Sessions focus on just one piece of work by a single author or practice. Whereas juries convene faculty to critically engage student work at the end of a project, Pratt Sessions gathers colleagues to support the intellectual project of a figure we mutually admire. @johnstonmarklee
Link here to register: https://www.pratt.edu/events/pratt-session-johnston-marklee/
#pratt #prattinstitute #prattSOA #prattGALAUD #JohnstonMarklee #SharonJohnston #MarkLee #architectureschool #architecturelecture #academiclecture #lecture #prattsessions #higginshall
MS ARCH / MS UD | Fall 2024 - Summer 2025 | Instructors: Alex Tahinos, Fabian Llonch, Erich Schoenenberger, Oliver Schaper, Valeria Cedillos, Pinar Araci, and Peter Trummer The Master of Science in Architecture program prepares students to become leaders in the field by employing innovative design research tools and methodologies to address the social and environmental challenges confronting modern cities. The MS Urban Design sequence asks the urban surface to demonstrate new formats, media and strategies for urban resilience.Harnessing the space between oversized architectures and undersized territories in increasingly more densely populated 21st-century cities, you will cultivate an understanding of urban design’s central role in addressing climate change and social inequity. Urban fabric registers, and in many cases contributes to the simultaneous increase of human population, temperatures, carbon and flooding.
1-5: Bhavya Prajapati, Falguni Sakpal, Mithila Sunil Patil | ARCH 806 - Peter Trummer and Pinar Araci
6-7: Bhavya Prajapati and Falguni Sakpal, Ann Abraham and Renata Luna | ARCH 813 - Jeffrey Anderson
@bhavya_prajapati__ @falgunisakpal @mithilapatil_ @ann_abraham98 @renataaluna
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents #PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA #architecturemodel #tower #relief #modelmaking @archdaily @archinect @next_top_architects @superarchitects @designboom @dezeen @architecturefactor
PRATT SESSIONS: NADAAA Thursday, September 18th 6:15 - 8:00 pm, Higgins Hall Auditorium
Nader Tehrani will join GA/LA/UD Chair Andrew Holder to present a canonical project from his practice NADAAA as part of the Department’s series of Pratt Sessions. For over two decades, Nader’s work has led the effort to integrate complex geometric and computer-based fabrication into he core of Architecture’s age-old concerns with organization, tectonics, and aesthetics. Recently, though, he has accepted a number of cultural commissions in historic buildings that tend to suppress exactly the complex visual signatures with which the firm has long been identified. The session will take up a close reading of NADAAA’s project “Villa Varoise” to clarify the continuing concerns of his practice, changes in the architectural milieu, and the possible ways that design might respond.
Pratt Sessions are a format for discourse at the Department of Graduate Architecture, Landscape, and Urban Design. The sessions seek to refine and intensify the event-structures commonly found in the design academy. Whereas lectures desire general audiences for broad overviews or introductions, Pratt Sessions focus on just one piece of work by a single author or practice. Whereas juries convene faculty to critically engage student work at the end of a project, Pratt Sessions gathers colleagues to support the intellectual project of a figure we mutually admire.
@nadaaainc @nadertehrani47
Link here to register: https://www.pratt.edu/events/pratt-session-nader-tehrani/
#pratt #prattinstitute #prattSOA #prattGALAUD #NADAAA #nadertehrani #architectureschool #architecturelecture #academiclecture #lecture #prattsessions #higginshall
