Giovanni Santamaria is an architect and educator. His research focuses on landscape and ecological urbanism which integrates the scale of architecture in a dimension concerning issues not only related to the history of urban settlements, politics, sociology and technologies but also to the complex ecology of our transforming environments: natural phenomena, problems of pollution, space reclaiming reuse, producing lands, consumption, and processes of sustainable growth within a metabolic approach.
Santamaria earned a Ph.D. in Architecture and Urban Design from the Facoltà di Architettura of Politecnico di Milano, after obtaining a degree in architecture from the I.U.A.V. in Venice. At Politecnico di Milano he taught architecture theory and urban design studios, while he received postdoctoral research grants and participated in EU-sponsored projects. At NYIT School of Architecture and Design, he has been teaching several studios at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and as chair of the department, is coordinator of the final thesis studio and co-director of the summer abroad programs. He is also the co-creator of the exchange agreement with Politecnico di Milano. He has participated in exhibitions, including the Biennale di Venezia, and in several international design competitions, receiving prestigious awards. He is active in lecturing in universities in both Europe and the United States, and is the author of books and essays published in several architecture magazines. He has been part of the Post-Sandy Design Committee at AIA NYC, and has been for several years a member of the Fulbright Committee.
Recent Projects and Research
- Participation to the exhibition "La Citta' dell'Inclusione" (The City of Inclusion). MACRO – Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome. Title of the work "One City Thousands Narratives."
- Coordination and Participation to the International Design Workshop "M.A.R.I.O.-II: Metropolitan Architecture for Rio de Janeiro-Brazil." The issues in 'Largo do Boticario," between adaptive reuse and water management.
- Co-creator and Coordinator of the International Design Workshops "Metabolism of a City: NYCER (Lab)-New York City East River Laboratory."
- Instructor and lecturer at the International Workshop at MIT, School of Architecture within the "Metro-Lab International Seminar." Re-thinking the future of the Matanza Riouciuelo river basin in Buenos Aires.
- Participation and Presentation at the IALE Seminar (International Association for Landscape Ecology). Paper titled "Anatomy of a Mutating Landscape" Milan, Italy.
- Participation and Presentation at the ACSA Seminar (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture). Paper titled "Merging Thresholds and New Landscapes of Knowledge," Antwerp, Belgium.
Publications
- "Merging Thresholds and New Landscapes of Knowledge" in Practice of Teaching/Teaching of Practice, ACSA (2019).
- "Urban Metabolism and Metropolitan Regions" in Conference Proceeding, S.ARCH (2019).
- "Transforming Territories—A Landscape of In-Tensio-Alities: case studies" in: International Journal of Social Science and Technology, IJSST (2018).
- "Franco Purini and New York: Journey through the Spaces of the Mind" in Paesaggio Urbano #3 (2018).
- CrosScapeS. Urbanized Territories and Integrated Landscapes. Published in "ArcDue Citta," Architettura, Ricerca, Citta (2014).
- Transforming Landscapes versus Resilient Environments. Published in "Questo. This is it." A. Contin, Milan, Politecnica Ed. (2013).
Professional Honors and Awards
- Recipient of the Presidential Engagement Award for Student Engagement by Faculty and Global Education (New York Tech, 2019).
- Certificate of Recognition for "Outstanding contributions to Experiential Education" at New York Tech International and Experiential Education Honors (2018).
- Honorable Mention at the International Design Competition for the New Bocconi Campus in the former area of Centrale del Latte di Milano. Title of the proposal: "Micro environments and Urban Catalysts" (2016).
- Second Prize at the International Design Competition: "Itinerarios Urbanos in Madrid."
- First Prize at the International Design Competition: "Ephemeral Structures in the City of Athens: Open-Air Theatre."
Courses Taught at New York Tech
Bachelor of Architecture Program:
- Arch 501 and 502, Design 7 and 8 (Final Thesis) (Coordinator)
- Arch 201: Design 1 (Coordinator)
- Arch 202: Design 2 (Coordinator)
- Arch 401: Design 5 (Community Design) (Coordinator)
- Arch 402: Design 6 (Comprehensive Design) (Coordinator)
- Arch 301: Design 3 (Comprehensive Design)
- Arch 302: Design 4 (Housing)
- AAID 101: Design Fundamentals 1
- AAID 102: Design Fundamentals 2
- AAID 140: Visualization 1
Master of Science in Architecture, Urban and Regional Design Program:
- Arch 702: Urban and Regional Design
- Arch 726: Case Studies Urbanism/Sub-Urbanism
Experiential Programs:
- Co-creator and Co-coordinator of the Summer Programs Abroad in Scandinavia, France, Portugal, Spain and Japan