Lawrence Davis
Associate Professor

B.Arch, University of Cincinnati; M.Arch, Columbia University

The primary subject of inquiry for Lawrence Davis in his practice, research and much of his teaching is the study of the exurban built environment. His seminar ‘Theories and Analysis of Exurbia’ examines the underlying social, cultural, and technical circumstances that shape this ubiquitous terrain over the last 250 years. He received a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University after receiving a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati and is a registered architect who maintains an active practice. Prof. Davis is twice a past chair of the undergraduate program. He first held the position between 2003-07 and recently between 2016- 2021 in addition to being past director of the School’s noted study abroad program in Florence from 2008-2012.
 
Davis’ published writings include a book,  Rewriting Exurbia: New People in Aging Sprawl, (ListLab fall 2023), chapters in edited books; ‘The Promise of New People in Aging North American Sprawl,’ in What’s Next with Mom’s and Dad’s House? Research Around the Single-Family Housing Type and its Future, edited by Tattara and Zanfi, (Birkhäuser, forthcoming 2024),  ‘Philip Johnson’s Crystal Cathedral and the Rhetoric of its Free-Form Polyhedron Structure’ in Beyond the Cube: The Architecture of Space Frames and Polyhedra edited by J. Francois Gabriel, and journal articles on Joze Plecnik in Architects Bulletin, on study abroad curriculum in Foglio. book reviews in the Journal of Architectural Education (JAE), and on his own design work in JAE, Architext and Architettura. Davis has delivered papers and lectures to the ACSA, the International Society of Philosophy and Literature, N.U.S.T., in Trondheim, Norway, as well as to both general-public and professional audiences in Milan, Mexico City, Madrid, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Florence, Venice, and Syracuse. The lecture titles include ‘Mixing Metabolisms, New People in Aging North American Sprawl,’ ‘Is God in the ‘burbs?: The Broadcast Architecture of the Crystal Cathedral’, ‘Re-Coding the Subject: an Interactive Gallery for the Everson Museum of Art’, ‘Spare Parts: Reusing the Postwar House and its Lawn’ and ‘Syracuse as a Eco Knowledge Economy.’
 
In collaboration with Andrew Klamon, Davis was a finalist for the design of a new town center for Plainfield, Illinois. His design for the Children’s Interactive Gallery for the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse received a citation and was exhibited and presented at the ACSA Annual Conference in Los Angeles. Davis has also exhibited in Columbus, Cincinnati, Saint Louis, Ithaca, Syracuse, Los Angeles, and New York. He has helped to organize student workshops in Spain and Italy and curated both international SU programs and symposia in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States.  Davis is a co-founder of City Scripts an interdisciplinary organization that examines the intersection of politics and the built environment, where he was the co-P.I. for an American Cities Kresge Foundation Grant awarded in 2019.  

License/Registration/Certification:
New York State since 1989
NCARB since 1993