Apply to the School of Architecture

Adrian Phiffer

Robert Gwathmey Chair in Urbanism

Born in Romania (b. 1980), Phiffer is a licensed architect in the European Union and director of the Office of Adrian Phiffer. He is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Toronto, where he served as the Master of Architecture program director. In 2020, he published the book Strange Primitivism. Currently, Phiffer is the 2026 Robert Gwathmey Chair in Urbanism at The Cooper Union School of Architecture. 

Phiffer's CV is available here. 
Headshot photo by Codrut Tolea.

 

Related Cooper Events & Exhibitions

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.