Peter Eisenman: In Conversation

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• Peter Eisenman
• Friday 28 November 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Lecture Room 1, Department of Architecture, 1-5 Scroope Terrace, Cambridge.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Charles Walton.

Peter Eisenman, born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1932, is an American architect positioned in the shift of modern architecture from strict functionalism to theory-driven experimentation, bridging academic discourse and avant-garde practice. He is associated with deconstructivist architecture, a style characterized by fragmented and distorted forms, and with theoretical writings that influenced architectural debate. He studied at Cornell, Columbia, and Cambridge under historian Colin Rowe, which gave him a distinctive academic foundation. Over a career spanning six decades, Eisenman contributed to postmodern architecture through projects in the United States and Europe. His work integrates architectural production with critical theory, recognized by honors such as the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2004. Notable projects include the Wexner Center for the Arts in Ohio, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, the City of Culture of Galicia in Spain, and the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. Eisenman influenced architectural thinking by challenging conventions and encouraging complexity. While his projects often provoked debate, he avoided personal controversy, focusing on design discourse. Eisenman primarily designed cultural institutions, memorials, and concept-driven works rather than commercial buildings. Educated in both the U.S. and UK, and active as a teacher, he has influenced architects internationally. Students can study his integration of philosophy with design, his systematic use of diagrams and concepts, and his emphasis on architecture as a discipline of ideas as well as buildings.

This talk is part of the ARCSOC Conversations series.

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• ARCSOC Conversations
• Lecture Room 1, Department of Architecture, 1-5 Scroope Terrace, Cambridge

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