Researcher-in-Residence

In 2024, the MAK Center for Art and Architecture and the SOM Foundation initiated Researcher-in-Residence, a joint residency program based in Los Angeles to provide space and time for rigorous work that addresses pressing issues related to the built environment. Each year, a $5,000 fellowship and summer residency are awarded to an architect, artist, and/or researcher based in the US or abroad to conduct original research that contributes to the current topic.

The Researcher-in-Residence program is open to professionals around the world researching or practicing in a discipline that relates to the built environment. Disciplines may include, but are not limited to architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, engineering, architectural history, sociology, writing, and/or visual art.

In addition to an award of $5,000, in 2026 the fellowship offers a four-to-six-week residency at R.M. Schindler’s Mackey Apartments in Los Angeles. The Mackey Apartments highlight R.M. Schindler’s ability to transform the most common typology of apartment building found in the Los Angeles area and adapt it with his own spatial language. Unlike international-style architects, Schindler seldom designed identical apartment units; his apartments are as complex, individual, and innovative as his houses. The Mackey possesses typical Schindler characteristics: compact apartment layout, exceptional incorporation of natural light, built-in furniture, variable ceiling heights, and private outdoor gardens or mini-balconies. The building was purchased by the Republic of Austria in 1995 and made available for the activities of the MAK Center.

Residency recipients are encouraged to participate in the activities of the MAK Center and engage with the art and design communities of Los Angeles. Each residency will culminate with a public talk or program related to the recipient’s research and interests.