Farès el-Dahdah
Professor of Architecture
Director of the Humanities Research Center
fdahdah@rice.eduEducation
D. Des. (1992); M.A.U.D. (1989), Harvard University
B. Arch. (1987); B.F.A. (1986), Rhode Island School of Design
Profile
Farès el-Dahdah is Professor of
Architecture and Director of the Humanities Research Center. He studied at the
Rhode Island School of Design (BFA, ‘86; BArch ‘87) and at Harvard University’s
Graduate Design School (MAUD ‘89; DDes ‘92). At Rice, el-Dahdah teaches survey
courses on the history of architecture and seminars on architecture and
urbanism in Brazil. Since 2001, el-Dahdah’s research has focused primarily on
Brazilian modern architecture and, more recently, on the spatial and social
evolution of Rio de Janeiro. His essays in architectural history and theory
have appeared in a number of periodicals, such as ANY, ArchitectureMagazine, ArquitecturaViva, Assemblage, Cite, Casabella, DocomomoJournal, Future
Anterior, Minha Cidade, and ReVista. El-Dahdah recently co-edited Roberto Burle Marx: The Modernity
of Landscape (Actar, 2011), participated in Reason and Environment
(MAM-SP, 2011), and co-organized the exhibition Lucio Costa, Architect (CLC,
2010), which was part of Brasilia’s 50th anniversary celebrations. He regularly
lectures at other institutions, both in the US and abroad, and was a Visiting
Scholar at Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American
Studies in 2011 and at the Canadian Center for Architecture in 2005. His
research has been supported by grants from the Graham Foundation, the Getty
Foundation, Brazil’s Ministry for External Relations, and Petrobras, among
others. El-Dahdah’s ongoing projects include the complete works of Oscar
Niemeyer and the organization of archives held by Casa de Lucio Costa and
Fundação Oscar Niemeyer, on the boards of which he serves. He is currently
writing a book on Lucio Costa’s Brasilia Pilot Plan and is co-developing, with
Prof. Alida Metcalf, a digital atlas spanning the entire history of Rio de
Janeiro.