Pratt Institute has named Assistant Chair of Undergraduate Architecture and Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture Lonn Combs as acting chair of its undergraduate architecture program as of August 3, 2009. He replaced Evan Douglis, who stepped down after serving as chair of undergraduate architecture since 2003 to become Dean of the School of Architecture at Rennselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.
Combs, who has taught in the program since 2001, is principal of Easton+Combs, an internationally-recognized architecture and design firm in Brooklyn. He co-founded the firm in 2002 after gaining professional experience in Germany, China, and the U.S., where he participated in architectural projects of many scales and program types, from housing and public institutional buildings in re-unified Berlin to public transportation architecture in Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia.
Combs was selected for the “Young Architects 10” juried and invited group exhibition at the Architectural League of New York in 2008, and is featured in the corresponding publication Young Architects 10: Resonance (Princeton Architectural Press, 2009). He has also participated in international group shows including an invited exhibition at the Total Museum of Contemporary Art and a public exhibition of award-winning work, both in Seoul, Korea.
“Lonn brings seasoned architectural and leadership expertise to the program, and we look forward to his tenure as acting chair of undergraduate architecture,” said Thomas Hanrahan, Pratt School of Architecture Dean.
Pratt’s School of Architecture was ranked twelfth nationally according to monthly architecture and design journal DesignIntelligence’s (DI) 2009 “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools” issue. The program was also recognized with a ranking of “high distinction” in a special DI list of architecture programs titled “Cramer Report: America’s World-Class Schools of Architecture.” The report was based on current and historic 10-year rankings by professional practices; rankings by academic deans and chairs; overall campus environment and student evaluations; and program accreditation.
Undergraduate architecture is a five-year bachelor of architecture degree program that prepares students with an early interest in architecture to become leading professional practitioners. Program curriculum encourages students to strive for creative and intellectual independence and inspired architectural research. Students learn that architecture is a meaningful cultural contribution, requiring both imagination and material realization within a larger social and ethical context.