Lawrence Scarpa, a leading architect of well-designed affordable housing, named JW&VL Visiting Professor of Practice
The Department of Architecture has invited Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA, to serve as the second JW&VL Visiting Professor of Practice. Scarpa is principal of the award-winning firm Brooks + Scarpa, which has offices in Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale.
The multidisciplinary practice, encompassing architecture, landscape architecture, planning, environmental design, materials research, and furniture and interior design, is known for innovative, sustainable projects across building types. A special focus is affordable, supportive multifamily housing.
The JW&VL Visiting Professor of Practice was established with the goal of bringing to the department distinguished practitioners with a specialization in housing and urban design. Scarpa is a co-founder of Livable Places, Inc., a nonprofit development and public policy organization dedicated to building mixed-use housing on underutilized or problematic parcels of land, and of the Affordable Housing Design Leadership Institute.
In 2022, the American Institute of Architects awarded Scarpa the Gold Medal, the institute’s highest honor; throughout his career, he has received more than 200 other major design awards. Since 2013, he has been on the faculty at the University of Southern California. He has lectured and held visiting positions in design schools across the country, including a previous semester at UC Berkeley as the 2004 Friedman Visiting Professor of Practice.
At UC Berkeley this spring, Scarpa will teach a graduate-level studio and give a public lecture as part of the Department of Architecture’s spring lecture series.