1994 Master of Architecture
John Russo

John Rhett Russo
Columbia University
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

is a designer and educator. His work ranges in scale from architecture to design, furniture, drawing, and sculpture. It is situated at the intersection of material behavior and digital technologies with a focus on ceramics. Russo’s designs gained international recognition through many exhibitions and international awards. Prior to launching his practice, Russo worked in the offices of RUR Architecture PC, Hanrahan & Meyers Architects, Bernard Tschumi Architects, and directed a collaborative interdisciplinary design practice Specific Objects, that he cofounded in 1998. He currently serves as the Undergraduate Chair in Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). After earning a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from Texas A&M University, Russo earned his Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University where he received the McKim Prize for Design Excellence. Russo is a past recipient of The Young Architect’s Award from the Architectural League of New York, and a former Van Alen Institute Dinkeloo Fellow at the American Academy in Rome. Russo has acquired a broad and critical perspective concerning the profound interface between design, technology, computation, engineering, and fabrication for the education of an architect today. He taught at several other distinguished programs, including New Jersey Institute of Technology, Washington University in St. Louis, Southern California Institute of Architecture, California College of the Arts, Cooper Union, Pratt, Columbia University, and University of Pennsylvania.