Monica Ponce de Leon
Encyclopedia
Monica Ponce de Leon is a Venezuela
n-born architect
and educator based in Ann Arbor, MI and Boston, MA. She is founding partner with Nader Tehrani in the award-winning firm Office dA, and Dean
and Eliel Saarinen
Collegiate Professor at the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan
.
with her family after graduating high school. She took English classes and worked in a millwork shop before enrolling at the University of Miami
, earning her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1989. In 1991, she received a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design
, and held teaching appointments at Miami, Harvard, the University of Houston
, Rhode Island School of Design
, and Northeastern University while establishing Office dA.
, director of the digital lab, and acting architecture program director at Harvard. During her tenure there, she also held visiting positions at the Southern California Institute of Architecture
and the Georgia Institute of Technology
, and has given over 60 lectures and symposia on her work, which has been published in over 200 publications worldwide. Alongside Tehrani, Ms. Ponce de Leon received both the Young Architects Award in 1997 and the Emerging Voices Award in 2003 from the Architectural League of New York
. In 2002, she received an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. and in 2008 she was named a United States Artist fellow.
Since being founded in 1991, her work with Office dA has received numerous awards, including the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award (2007), 13 Progressive Architecture awards, the Harleston Parker Medal
(2002), as well as citations from the American Institute of Architects
, I.D. Magazine
, the Congress for New Urbanism
, and the Boston Society of Architects. In 2008, the firm's Macallen Building was named one of the Top Ten Green Projects by the American Institute of Architects
Committee on the Environment. After the disbanding of Office dA in 2010, Monica Ponce de Leon stablished her own practice, MPdL Studio with offices in New York, Boston and Ann Arbor.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n-born architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and educator based in Ann Arbor, MI and Boston, MA. She is founding partner with Nader Tehrani in the award-winning firm Office dA, and Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
and Eliel Saarinen
Eliel Saarinen
Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen was a Finnish architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century....
Collegiate Professor at the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Early life and education
Ponce de Leon was raised in Caracas, Venezuela and immigrated to Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
with her family after graduating high school. She took English classes and worked in a millwork shop before enrolling at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, earning her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1989. In 1991, she received a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
, and held teaching appointments at Miami, Harvard, the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
, and Northeastern University while establishing Office dA.
Career
Prior to her appointment at Michigan, Ponce de Leon was Professor of ArchitectureProfessor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, director of the digital lab, and acting architecture program director at Harvard. During her tenure there, she also held visiting positions at the Southern California Institute of Architecture
Southern California Institute of Architecture
The Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles , California, is an independent, nonprofit school offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture. It offers community design and outreach programs, and free public access to frequent exhibitions and lectures by leading...
and the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, and has given over 60 lectures and symposia on her work, which has been published in over 200 publications worldwide. Alongside Tehrani, Ms. Ponce de Leon received both the Young Architects Award in 1997 and the Emerging Voices Award in 2003 from the Architectural League of New York
Architectural League of New York
The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines"....
. In 2002, she received an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. and in 2008 she was named a United States Artist fellow.
Since being founded in 1991, her work with Office dA has received numerous awards, including the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award (2007), 13 Progressive Architecture awards, the Harleston Parker Medal
Harleston Parker Medal
The Harleston Parker Medal was established in 1921 by J. Harleston Parker to recognize “such architects as shall have, in the opinion of the Boston Society of Architects. ....
(2002), as well as citations from the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
, I.D. Magazine
I.D. (magazine)
I.D. was a magazine covering the art, business and culture of design. It was published eight times a year by F+W Media....
, the Congress for New Urbanism
New urbanism
New Urbanism is an urban design movement, which promotes walkable neighborhoods that contain a range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually continued to reform many aspects of real estate development, urban planning, and municipal land-use...
, and the Boston Society of Architects. In 2008, the firm's Macallen Building was named one of the Top Ten Green Projects by the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
Committee on the Environment. After the disbanding of Office dA in 2010, Monica Ponce de Leon stablished her own practice, MPdL Studio with offices in New York, Boston and Ann Arbor.
Further reading
- Contemporary World Architects: Office dA, by Randolphe El-Khoury, et al. (Rockport Publishers, 1999)
- Immaterial/Ultramaterial: Architecture, Design and Materials, by Toshiko Mori (Braziller, 2002)
- Surface Architecture, by David Leatherbarrow and Mohsen MostafaviMohsen MostafaviMohsen Mostafavi is an Iranian-American architect and educator. He currently the Dean and Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He was formerly the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University...
(MIT Press, 2005) - Zago Architecture and Office dA: Two Installation, by Eric Owen MossEric Owen MossEric Owen Moss practices architecture with his eponymously named LA-based 25-person firm founded in 1973.Throughout his career Moss has worked to revitalize a once defunct industrial tract in Culver City, California....
, et al. (Actar, 2006) - Young Architects 7: Situating, by the Architectural League of New YorkArchitectural League of New YorkThe Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines"....
(Princeton Architectural Press, 2006) - Fellowships in Architecture, by Janice Harvey (ed.) and Monica Ponce de Leon (foreword) (Oro editions, 2009)
- Monsterpieces: Once Upon a Time . . . of the 2000s!, by Aude-Line Dulliere and Clara Wong, (Oro editions, March 2010)