Andrés Jaque Appointed as New Director of Advanced Architectural Design Program at Columbia GSAPP

Superpowers of Ten / Andrés Jaque—Office for Political Innovation. Image © Jorge López Conde

Dean Amale Andraos of the Columbia GSAPP has announced the appointment of Andrés Jaque as the new Director of the Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design program (AAD). Jaque is the founder of the Madrid-based Office for Political Innovation and has been teaching advanced design studios at Columbia GSAPP since 2013.

On June, 1, Jaque will succeed Associate Professor Enrique Walker, who directed the program from 2008 to 2018. “I’m very thankful for the rigorous vision and dedication that Walker has brought to the program during his directorship,” acknowledged Andraos. “Enrique established a strong legacy of bringing experimental approaches to research and design and built a program that is firmly grounded in forming positions through design,” added.

Andres Jaque. Image © Office for Political Innovation

Columbia GSAPP’s Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design is a three-semester degree for outstanding students who already hold a Bachelor or Master of Architecture degree. “The program is renowned for giving students a framework through which both academic and professional concerns are explored,” explains the institution.

The Rolling House / Andrés Jaque—Office for Political Innovation. Image © Miguel de Guzmán

“More than ever, architecture is now a key player in the challenges the world faces. The AAD program occupies a unique position from which the relevance of architecture can be claimed, explored, and expanded – both as a need and as a great opportunity to reinvent the way we related to environments, technologies, and cultures,” said Andrés Jaque.

COSMO / Andrés Jaque—Office for Political Innovation. Image © Miguel de Guzmán

Jaque is the recipient of a Silver Lion for Best Research Project at the 14th Venice Biennale for SALES ODDITY project and the 10th Kiesler Architecture and Art Prize. Among other recognitions, his firm the Office for Political Innovation has won the MoMA PS1 Young Architects competition for COSMO, the Dionisio Hernández Gil Award, London Design Museum’s Designs of the Year Selection, and was a Mies van der Rohe Award Finalist.