Stephen Cassell
ARO - New York City, NY
Lecture: "Architecture. Research. Office"
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 | 6:00PM | ARCH 132 DF Pray Lecture Theatre
Stephen Cassell, FAIA, is Principal of Architecture Research Office (ARO). He holds an undergraduate degree in architecture from Princeton University and a Master of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He has twice served as the Shure Professor at the University of Virginia and as the Friedman Professor at the University of California at Berkeley. He has also taught at MIT, Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, and other institutions. He has lectured throughout the United States and abroad. Stephen is the former Chair of the Board of the Van Alen Institute. He was a Fall/Winter 2023 Resident at the American Academy in Rome.
Architecture Research Office, founded in 1993, is the New York City firm united by their collaborative process, commitment to accountable action, and social and environmental responsibility. Research gives their work purpose and intention. Their architecture unites beauty and form with strategy and intelligence. ARO designs spaces that inspire people, further institutional missions, and advance equity and resilience. This philosophy has earned the firm over one hundred design awards including the 2020 AIA Architecture Firm Award, the AIA New York State Firm of the Year Award, and the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Architecture. Published in October 2024, Architecture. Research. Office. presents ARO’s diverse body of work, its ethos, and the people behind its projects.
With the publication of their book Architecture. Research. Office., Principal Stephen Cassell presents the design of his practice as its own project. ARO’s principles-based model of practice that aims towards more responsible architecture that is grounded in both people and process. “Architecture” is the firm’s ultimate objective, which for ARO, means creating beautifully crafted work that benefits people; “research” grounds its methodology and informs its approach; and “office” reflects the idea that creating architecture in support of people starts with the community and culture of the firm itself. Key projects across three decades represent the firm’s diverse body of work and illustrate the principles that guide ARO’s work, the firm’s methodology, and its culture.
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