Kassler Lecture: Ecological Architecture (Rescheduled from Fall 2022)

Emilio Ambasz (born 1943, Argentina; Spanish citizen by Royal Grant) is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning architect, designer, and inventor widely recognized as a pioneer of Green Architecture. Integrating landscape and building, returning to the community is paramount in his work. He has completed a number of public projects around the world including the Lucile Halsell Conservatory in San Antonio, Texas and the Prefectural International Hall in Fukuoka, Japan. Casa de Retiro Espiritual (Spiritual Retreat), his home in Seville, Spain, is an example of how architecture can coexist with the landscape.

Ambasz studied at Princeton University where he completed the undergraduate program and received a Master’s Degree in Architecture. Shortly after, he taught as Philip Freneau Preceptor of Architecture. From 1969 to 1976, he served as Curator of Design at the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City, where in 2020, the Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and the Natural Environment was established in his name.

Among his many awards and honors, Ambasz is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and an Honorary International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 2014, he was awarded the Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the Institute for Advanced Studies of the University of Bologna. Additionally, Ambasz was granted the honorific title of Commendatore d’Italia, Stella d’Oro, by the Italian government for his contributions to Italian culture. In 2021, the University of Bologna awarded him an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Architecture and Engineering. In 2023, Politecnico di Torino awarded him an Honorary Master Degree in Systemic Design.

Ambasz has been the subject of numerous international publications and exhibitions. He has had solo presentations at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; La Triennale di Milano; The Arts Institute of Chicago; The Museum of Contemporary Art Reina Sofia-Madrid; Le Centre Canadien d’Architecture; and the Tokyo Gallery of Contemporary Art; among others. His architectural work has been featured in publications such as Domus, ON, Space and Design, Architectural Record, and Architecture plus Urbanism. Most recently, Rizzoli published a monograph written by Barry Bergdoll titled Emilio Ambasz: Curating a New Nature (November 2022).

Lecture made possible by the Kenneth Kassler Memorial Lecture Fund. The School of Architecture, Princeton University, is registered with the AIA Continuing Education (AIA/CE) and is committed to developing quality learning activities in accordance with the AIA/CE criteria.