James Carpenter
“Embodied Art in the Public Realm“
Wednesday, February 12th, 5:00p.m. est
EMPAC Theater
Mosaic Architecture Lecture
James Carpenter is a designer and glass sculptor, envisioning and translating the aesthetic and imaginative possibilities of glass into built environments. His work draws from architecture, engineering, materials science, and sculpture, extending the boundaries of each. Carpenter studied architecture and sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. He actively exhibited light-based art works, while working from 1972 through 1982 as a consultant at Corning Glass Works, developing new glass materials. These research projects were aimed at potential architectural applications. Since establishing James Carpenter Design Associates in 1979, Carpenter has been integrating a synthesis of light into building structures. The studio is a collaborative environment, encouraging an exchange of ideas between architects, material and structural engineers, environmental engineers, and fabricators. Carpenter is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, the American Institute of Architects Honor Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.
Studio James Carpenter / JCDA, established in 1979, is a cross-disciplinary design firm that integrates fine art, engineering, architecture, and environmental considerations to enhance connections to the natural world. At the core of its design approach is light—its scientific, physiological, and psychological dimensions—woven into solutions that animate spaces through materials and geometries, engaging users with the cycles of day and season. With over 40 years of transformative projects, the studio reimagines built environments through adaptive reuse, campus-scale renewals, and key strategic interventions, as seen in projects like the Schwartz Pavilion at Harvard Business School, the renewal of the Israel Museum Jerusalem, and the Museum at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Its commercial and cultural works, including the Gucci Japan Flagship, the Ion innovation hub in Houston, and the Ice Falls in the Hearst Tower, create civic experiences at the intersection of nature and architecture. Public space activations, such as New York’s Fulton Center Sky Reflector-Net and Seven World Trade Center’s exterior envelope, further demonstrate the studio’s ability to reintegrate urban environments. The firm has received prestigious accolades, including the National Environmental Design Award from the Smithsonian Institution and the AIA Honor Award.
We look forward to seeing you at this lecture.