Alex Cooper
Encyclopedia
Alexander Cooper, FAIA
often credited as Alex Cooper, is an American
architect
and urban designer.
In his piece on Cooper in The New York Times
, Paul Goldberger
wrote that Cooper "just might be the most influential architect in New York right now. Surely, no architect is having as much impact, not only on the design of individual buildings, but on the shape of wide swaths of the city."
After graduating from Yale College
, Cooper got a Master of Architecture
degree from Yale School of Architecture
.
Soon after, Cooper began work in the public sector for the City of New York, first as a member of the New York City Planning Commission, then as Director of the Urban Design Group of the New York City Department of City Planning
, and finally as Director of Design for New York's Housing and Development Administration (now the New York City Department of Buildings
).
Cooper's private practice began in 1979, when he founded Alexander Cooper & Associates in New York City which, since the partnership with his Yale School of Architecture
classmate Jaquelin T. Robertson
, is now called Cooper, Robertson & Partners
.
His notable work-to-date in urban design includes Battery Park City, New York City’s west side Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project
, the expansion of the Museum of Modern Art
, the International Trade Center, Yale University
's Framework for Campus Planning, and Zuccotti Park
, which Cooper explained in a New York Times article: 'The trees and granite benches follow an angle from northwest to southeast. "The historic line from the World Trade Center to the financial center always came diagonally," the architect Alexander Cooper explained. "So I picked up that same axis in the hope that there will be something back in that corner" -- meaning the empty hole across Church Street.' His significant work in architecture to date includes the Columbia University School of Social Work
, Stuyvesant High School
in lower Manhattan
, Duke University Medical Center's Clinic, and both Fisher Hall and Pfahl Hall at the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University
in Columbus, Ohio.
As an academic, Cooper directed the Graduate Urban Design Program at Columbia University
.
Cooper is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He received the Seaside Prize from the Seaside Institute in 2002.
FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is a postnomial, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects...
often credited as Alex Cooper, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 urban designer.
In his piece on Cooper in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Paul Goldberger
Paul Goldberger
Paul Goldberger is the Architecture Critic for The New Yorker, where since 1997 he has written the magazine's celebrated "Sky Line" column. He also holds the Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture at The New School in New York City...
wrote that Cooper "just might be the most influential architect in New York right now. Surely, no architect is having as much impact, not only on the design of individual buildings, but on the shape of wide swaths of the city."
After graduating from Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, Cooper got a Master of Architecture
Master of Architecture
The Master of Architecture is a professional degree in architecture, qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation that result in receiving a license.-Overview:...
degree from Yale School of Architecture
Yale School of Architecture
The Yale School of Architecture is one of the constituent professional schools of Yale University. It is generally considered to be one of the most prestigious architecture schools in the world.- History :...
.
Soon after, Cooper began work in the public sector for the City of New York, first as a member of the New York City Planning Commission, then as Director of the Urban Design Group of the New York City Department of City Planning
New York City Department of City Planning
The Department of City Planning is a governmental agency of New York City responsible for setting the framework of city's physical and socioeconomic planning...
, and finally as Director of Design for New York's Housing and Development Administration (now the New York City Department of Buildings
New York City Department of Buildings
The New York City Department of Buildings is the branch of municipal government in New York City that enforces the City's building codes and zoning regulations, issues building permits, and inspects new and existing buildings.-History:...
).
Cooper's private practice began in 1979, when he founded Alexander Cooper & Associates in New York City which, since the partnership with his Yale School of Architecture
Yale School of Architecture
The Yale School of Architecture is one of the constituent professional schools of Yale University. It is generally considered to be one of the most prestigious architecture schools in the world.- History :...
classmate Jaquelin T. Robertson
Jaquelin T. Robertson
Jaquelin Taylor Robertson, FAIA, FAICP usually credited as Jaquelin T. Robertson and informally known as "Jaque," is an American architect and urban designer....
, is now called Cooper, Robertson & Partners
Cooper, Robertson & Partners
Cooper, Robertson & Partners is an international architecture and urban design firm headquartered in New York City.Founded originally as Alexander Cooper and Associates by Alex Cooper in 1979, the firm has designed a number of significant planned communities, urban infill, and transit-oriented...
.
His notable work-to-date in urban design includes Battery Park City, New York City’s west side Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project
Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project
The Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project is a New York City Department of City Planning and Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposal to encourage business development on Manhattan's far West Side along the Hudson River. The project initially included a rezoning of the Far West Side of...
, the expansion of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, the International Trade Center, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's Framework for Campus Planning, and Zuccotti Park
Zuccotti Park
Zuccotti Park, formerly called Liberty Plaza Park, is a publicly accessible park in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is a controlled by Brookfield Properties. The park was created in 1968 by Pittsburgh-based United States Steel, after the property owners negotiated its creation with city...
, which Cooper explained in a New York Times article: 'The trees and granite benches follow an angle from northwest to southeast. "The historic line from the World Trade Center to the financial center always came diagonally," the architect Alexander Cooper explained. "So I picked up that same axis in the hope that there will be something back in that corner" -- meaning the empty hole across Church Street.' His significant work in architecture to date includes the Columbia University School of Social Work
Columbia University School of Social Work
The Columbia University School of Social Work is a professional program within Columbia University. With an enrollment of over 900, it is one of the largest social work programs in the United States. It is also the nation’s oldest, with roots extending back to 1898, when the New York Charity...
, Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
in lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
, Duke University Medical Center's Clinic, and both Fisher Hall and Pfahl Hall at the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in Columbus, Ohio.
As an academic, Cooper directed the Graduate Urban Design Program at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Cooper is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He received the Seaside Prize from the Seaside Institute in 2002.
External links
Further reading
- Cooper, Robertson & Partners: Cities to Gardens. The Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd, 2007 ISBN 1-86470-167-6