David Lyle Hays

David Lyle Hays is Professor and Head of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois, with joint appointments in the School of Art and Design and European Union Center. His interdisciplinary work bridges historical scholarship and contemporary design practice.

Research Focus: Hays examines the invention and reception of landscape forms across history, with particular interest in curious interfaces between architecture and landscape – such as kinetic structures and interior landscapes. His historical research focuses on eighteenth-century French gardens as sites of innovation.

Creative Practice: As Co-Director of Space p11 gallery and Co-Editor of Forty-Five: A Journal of Outside Research, Hays promotes experimental design research. His pedagogical approach integrates historical analysis with hands-on prototyping methodologies.

Education:

• M.Arch, Princeton University
• PhD, Yale University History of Art
• AB, Harvard University (Fine Arts & Romance Languages)