Mario Gandelsonas

Mario Gandelsonas is a Professor of Architecture and Class of 1913 Lecturer at Princeton University’s School of Architecture, where he also directs the Urban Studies Certificate Program. He is affiliated with the High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) as part of its Grand Challenges Program. His research integrates urbanism, semiotics, and infrastructure, emphasizing how architectural and urban systems interact with cultural and environmental contexts.

Education includes a Diploma from the University of Buenos Aires and a Certificate from the Centre de Recherche d’Urbanisme in Paris. Gandelsonas has led significant projects like the Xu Jia Hui district in Shanghai and the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines. He co-founded Agrest & Gandelsonas, an architectural firm focused on urban design and theoretical exploration.

His work has been recognized with the AIA College of Fellows (2006), honoring contributions to architectural education and practice. He directed the Center for Architecture, Urbanism, and Infrastructure (CAUI) from 2007–2013 and co-directed the Generative Design Program at Princeton. Key research interests include environmental humanities, urban resilience, and the role of semiotics in shaping urban environments.

Grants include funding from Princeton’s Global Collaborative Research Networks for the “Twenty First Century Infrastructure” project. His transdisciplinary approach involves workshops on mobility, energy, and water infrastructure in cities like Paris, Shanghai, and Los Angeles. He advocates for infrastructure as a critical component of sustainable urban development and has published extensively on architectural theory and urban design.