Sylvia Smith

As Senior Partner, Sylvia formed and leads the firm's award-winning Culture and Education Studio. Since joining the firm in 1982, she has been responsible for program-intensive projects of varying scope and size, approaching design as a practical and poetic articulation of theoretical ideas.

Sylvia grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, fascinated by the steel skyscrapers she would tour with her engineer father on weekends in the city. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Art History from Dickinson College, where she was named a Metzger Fellow, followed by a Master of Architecture from the University of Virginia School of Architecture, in 1978.

With focus on working with the arts, culture, and education communities at an institutional level, she has long melded her many interests. Sylvia is an active member of numerous cultural and professional organizations, including the AIA New York chapter, the Design Trust for Public Space, the Storefront for Art and Architecture.