Charles Newman

Architect Charles Newman has focused his design practice and inquiry upon developing high impact / low cost architectural, infrastructural, and spatial design solutions in partnership with “high risk/low resource” communities. Over the course of his 17-year career he has contributed to hundreds of projects with communities in Central Africa, South America, South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and now in New York City. These collaborations have resulted in community-defined gathering spaces, inclusive and accessible playgrounds, and urban agriculture programs. Newman’s work has consistently prioritized the design of the design process, recognizing that social, economic, and environmental benefits often occur as the result of effectively curated decision-making that is so foundational to community-driven design. In addition to teaching in School of Design, Newman also teaches and at Columbia University in The School Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, where his work considers both the technical and ethical challenges confronted by the designer when working communities in high risk/low resource environments.

Newman currently serves as the Lead Architect for the New York District of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. In this role Newman develops public space design solutions for water-front communities confronted by both sea-level rise and disruptive infrastructure projects. Mr. Newman is a licensed architect in the State of New York, earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University, and holds a Master in Design Studies with Distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.