Elizabeth Diller

Elizabeth Diller is a Professor of Architectural Design at Princeton University and a founding partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), an interdisciplinary studio renowned for innovative architecture, installations, and urban design. Her work bridges architecture with performance, art, and cultural critique, emphasizing the social and spatial dimensions of design.

Education:

• Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) from The Cooper Union, New York

Research Interests:

• Exploring the intersection of architecture with cultural, social, and technological systems.
• Designing public spaces that challenge conventional urban paradigms, such as the High Line and Zaryadye Park.
• Interdisciplinary projects blending architecture with performance art and digital media, exemplified by installations like Architecture, Not Architecture and The Mile-Long Opera.

Articles & Projects: Her work emphasizes transformative urban spaces and cultural institutions, such as The Shed, MoMA expansion, and the Vatican-inspired Heavenly Bodies exhibition. These projects highlight her focus on merging historical and contemporary aesthetics with functional innovation.

Awards:

• MacArthur Foundation Fellowship ("Genius Grant")
• Wolf Prize in Architecture
• TIME 100 Most Influential People (2018)

Grants & Advising: Leads major global projects, including the V&A East Storehouse and UNM's Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology. Active in academic advising at Princeton and serves on the UN Council on Urban Initiatives.

Labs/Teams: DS+R, a 100+ member studio with partners Charles Renfro and Benjamin Gilmartin, operates across architecture, urbanism, and art. Notable collaborations include installations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Fondation Cartier.