Senior Critic in Architecture
Architectural history and theory, architecture of modernity, architecture as expression of belief, monuments and inscriptions, the Tower of Babel
I am an architect and historian, and teach Yale’s survey of the history of architecture. I am interested in architecture’s claims to metaphysical significance, with a particular curiosity for architecture as a recurring figure in biblical doctrine. I work on the Tower of Babel—particularly its appropriations in the years leading up to World War II—and, more broadly, on architectural monuments as markers of identity, aspiration, and belief. I am also interested in inscriptions and other forms of writing on buildings, and in works of architecture as documents that are amenable to being read.