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Julie Larsen
Associate Professor, Graduate Chair

B.S., Arch, University of Illinois; M.Arch, Columbia University


Julie Larsen is an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture with a design research focus on how architecture manifests itself as a material practice that is productively informed by computation, fabrication, and the environment. She is co-principal of APTUM, a design office based in Switzerland and the USA. Prior to her tenure at Syracuse, Julie was a lecturer at the University of Michigan and at the ETH in Zurich under the Chair of Marc Angelil, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois.

APTUM has received multiple awards for their design work, including national and international recognition from the AIA NY chapter, German Design Awards, and Architect Magazine’s R&D awards. Their work was awarded an ACSA 2018 Creative Achievement Award for a project that bridges materiality, digital form-making and ecology, that was presented at an Educational Session of the 2018 Venice Biennale. Julie was also awarded the prestigious fellowship at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire in 2011 and was awarded the annual $20,000 Rotch Traveling Studio Award in 2012 for her ‘Manufactured Landscapes’ studio proposal that funded a studio trip to Tokyo, Japan.

Professor Larsen’s research emphasis involves interdisciplinary collaborations from many organizations in support of award-winning projects, successful grants, corporate sponsorship, as well as exhibitions and publications of the work. She and her partner are actively involved with competitions and experimental small-scale projects with material research collaborators. Their latest collaborations are with a range of partnerships; working with city planners, landscape architects and coastal engineers, non-profit organizations, Habitat for Humanity, the CMU industry, as well as the concrete industry, most notably with CEMEX Global R&D, in pursuit of pioneering design applications with cementious materials. They have also collaborated with world-renowned contemporary choreographer, Tere O’Connor, for ‘Cover Boy’ that premiered at the Danspace Project in New York and was later showcased at Jacob’s Pillow Dance and Kiplinger Theater at Cornell University.

Their work has been showcased in recent exhibitions at the WUHO Gallery in Los Angeles, Zeitgeist Arts Center in Arabi, Louisiana, the Center for Architecture in New York, the Museum of the City of New York, the International Expo in Cartagena Colombia, the Set Gallery in Brooklyn, California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco, the SMOCA in Scottsdale, the I-Space Gallery in Chicago, and the Sam Fox Gallery in St. Louis. The firm’s work has been published extensively in print and online publications, such as Domus, FX Magazine, Architect’s Newspaper, Architect Magazine, Interni, Oculus, MAS Contect, Landscape World, Bustler, Archinect, ArchDaily, Architecture Lab, WeHeart, Frame, Chicago Sun Times and the New York Times, as well as in book chapters, most notably in Performing Architectures and Masjid - Selected Mosques from the Islamic World.

Julie has been a guest reviewer at Columbia University, the ETH, the EPFL, Cornell University, University of California Berkeley, Rensselaer School of Architecture (RPI), University of Tennessee, SUNY Buffalo, Washington University, and University of Michigan.

Buildings and Projects

  • 2020 - Cocoa Beach Living Shoreline, Cocoa Beach, FL (design development)
  • 2019 - Folded Pavilion, Autodesk BuildSpace, Boston, MA (design development)
  • 2017 - Thinness Pavilion, San Francisco, CA (built)
  • 2016 - Rhizolith Island Installation, Cartagena, Colombia (built)
  • 2016 - Habitat for Humanity ‘Twin Peaks’ Houses, Syracuse, NY (under construction)
  • 2014 - Louissaint / Litvinenko House, Oneonta, NY, Design by Aptum Architecture (DD)
  • 2011 - Cover Boy Performance by Tere O’Connor, Dance Space Project, NYC, (built)
  • 2011 - IMC Spatial Constructs, Urbana, IL, (built)
  • 2011 - Dance Space Phase II for the Dance Department at UIUC, Design by Aptum, (built)
  • 2009 - Dance Space Phase I for the Dance Department at UIUC, Design by Aptum, (built)
  • 2007 - Competitive 24 Lane Airport Bowling; Rumlang, Switzerland (schematic design)
  • 2007 - Holsteins Minor League Baseball Stadium, Harvard, Illinois, US (SD)
  • 2003 - Stadler House, Private Residence; Neerach, Switzerland; (built)

Competitions

  • 2018 - Ragdale Ring Competition, Chicago, Illinois
  • 2017 - Icebreakers Competition, Toronto Canada
  • 2015 - Field Constructs, Houston Texas, Design by Aptum Architecture, Finalist
  • 2015 - Closed Worlds, Storefront for Art and Architecture, NY, Honorable Mention
  • 2015 - Festival of Architectures Vives at Montpellier, France
  • 2014 - Helsinki Guggenheim Museum, Helsinki, Finland
  • 2014 - Kinmen Taiwan Ferry Terminal, Kinmen, Taiwan
  • 2013 - Prishtina Mosque, Prishtina, Kosovo
  • 2013 - BOFFO / Linda Farrow Shop, NY
  • 2013 - Forks Warming Hut, Winnipeg, Canada,
  • 2013 - Casey Trees, South Carolina, Team Leader, Gale Fulton, 2nd Place,
  • 2013 - Landing Garden, Lausanne, Switzerland, with Gale Fulton, Short-listed
  • 2013 - Cleveland Bridge, Cleveland, OH,
  • 2012 - AC-CA Amsterdam Bridge, Amsterdam, Netherlands,
  • 2011 - Helsinki South Harbour, Helsinki, Finland

Exhibitions

  • 2019 - Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center, Arabi, LA, Floating Cities Exhibition, Opening: Thursday August 29th
  • 2019 - WUHO Gallery Los Angeles, CA, Floating Cities Exhibition, Opening: Saturday April 13th
  • 2018 - Center for Architecture, AIANY Design Awards Exhibition, NY, NY
  • 2017 - Designing Material Innovation Exhibition, California College of the Arts (CCA), San Francisco, CA, Opening: September 28
  • 2017 - Malaysia Biennial 100YC: Medini 2017, Malaysia, New Masterplan for entirely new city of Medini
  • 2017 - ACADIA, Exhibition of Projects, MIT, Cambridge, MA
  • 2017 - Center for Architecture, AIANY Design Awards Exhibition, NY, NY
  • 2017 - Faculty Exhibition of Work, Syracuse University SOA, Opening: May 2017, Selected Work
  • 2016 - RC 2016 (Reunion del Concreto), International Expo & Academic, Conference in Concrete in Cartagena, Colombia.
  • 2015 - Syracuse University SOA, Syracuse, NY, Fabrication Convoy ‘Tower of Tiles’ Exhibition
  • 2015 - ACSA 103rd Annual Meeting, “The Expanding Periphery and the Migrating Center” March 19-21, Toronto, Canada
  • 2015 - Field Constructs Design Competition Exhibition, Ecology Action, Exhibition Opening: November 13
  • 2015 - ACADIA, Exhibition of Projects, University of Cincinnati, OH, Exhibition Opening: Oct. 2015
  • 2014 - Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Kiplinger Theatre, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, Stage Set Design for Cover Boy Performance, Choreographer Tere O’Connor, Opening: Sept. 12, 2014
  • 2014 - Center for Architecture, AIANY Design Awards Exhibition, NY, NY
  • 2014 - ACSA 102nd Annual Meeting, “Globalizing Architecture – Flows and Disruptions”, Miami, FL, March 2014
  • 2013 - Jacobs Pillow Dance, Berkshire Hills, Massachusetts, Stage Set Design for Cover Boy Performance, Choreographer Tere O’Connor, Opening: July 17-21
  • 2013 - Faculty Exhibition of Work, Syracuse University SOA, May 2013. Selected Work
  • 2012 - “Pan Am 103 Memorial Installation”, Syracuse University SOA
  • 2011 - Museum of the City of New York, Greatest Grid Competition Exhibition for 100 Year Anniversary of Museum, New York, NY
  • 2011 - Studio Exhibition, Manufacturing Landscapes Exhibition, Chicago, IL, May 11-25, Sponsored by Rotch Studio Grant
  • 2011 - Dance Space Project, St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, NY, NY, Stage Set Design for Cover Boy Performance, Choreographer Tere O’Connor, Opening: December 6-11, 2011
  • 2011 - SET Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, Gowanus Lowline Exhibition
  • 2011 - Sam Fox School Gallery, Washington University, Solo Exhibition, Title: Stress Test – Infrastructure as a Synthetic Surface, Opening: April 8, 2011                        
  • 2009 - Solo Exhibition, I-space Gallery, Chicago, IL, Opening: November 2009, Title: Architecture of Crisis
  • 2009 - New Faculty Exhibition, University of Illinois U-C; October 2009, Installation
  • 2009 - 13.3% Exhibition, Woodbury University School of Architecture, CA, Opening: December 4, 2009
  • 2008 - Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMOCA), FLIP-A-STRIP Exhibition, Scottsdale, Arizona, Invited Exhibition
  • 2008 - Group Exhibition, 99K Sustainable House Competition, Houston, Texas, US, Selected Proposals

Grants and Awards

Awards and Recognition

  • 2019 - PS1 Young Architects Program (YAP) Nomination, Museum of Modern Art, Department of Architecture and Design, NY, NY
  • 2019 - German Design Award Nomination, Small Building Category, ‘Thinness Pavilion’ 
  • 2018 - Autodesk BUILD Space Fellowship + Residency (Architect Magazine R+D Award), 2019-2020
  • 2018 - Architect Magazine R+D Awards, Project Citation Award, Top 5 of 100+ entries, ‘Thinness Pavilion’
  • 2018 - ACSA Creative Achievement Award, 1 of 3 Awarded, Title: Scaling Up: Crafting the Future of Concrete in the Anthropocene
  • 2018 - AIA NY Chapter Merit Award, Projects Category, TOP 10%, 1 of 32 awarded, ‘Thinness Pavilion’
  • 2018 - German Design Award Nomination and Winner, Design and Infrastructure Category, ‘Rhiziolith Island’
  • 2017 - AIA NY Chapter Merit Award, Project Category, Top 10%, 1 of 35 awards of 379 submissions, ‘Rhiziolith Island’
  • 2015 - Finalist, Field Constructs Design Competition, Austin, Texas, ‘dis-Figure’
  • 2015 - Honorable Mention, Closed Worlds Competition, Storefront for Art and Architecture, NY, NY, ‘Safe House’
  • 2014 - AIA NY Chapter Merit Award, Project Category, 1 of 35 awards / 383 submissions, ‘Mi’Raj’ (Prishtina Mosque Competition)
  • 2013 - 2nd Place, Casey Trees Competition, SC, team led by Gale Fulton Team, ‘Tre[e]conomics’
  • 2013 - Short-listed, Lausanne ‘Landing’ Garden Competition, Lausanne, Switzerland, with Gale Fulton, ‘Land-schap-ing’
  • 2012 - Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC), 1-week residency with Tere O’Connor
  • 2012 - 1st Place, Rotch Traveling Studio Grant, Recipient, ‘Manufacturing Landscapes Studio Proposal’
  • 2011 - 2nd Place, Gowanus Lowline Competition, Brooklyn, New York, with Gale Fulton, ‘(F)lowline’
  • 2011 - 3rd Place, 10UP Competition, Atlanta, GA, ‘ Bio[mass] Production’
  • 2011 - Residency Recipient, MacDowell Colony Fellowship, 6-week fellowship, Peterborough, New Hampshire
  • 2011 - 2nd Place, Network Reset Competition, Chicago, Illinois, with G.Fulton, ‘In[voluntary] Prisoners of Climate, Change’
  • 2010 - 2nd Place, ANCI Creative Award, Italian Shoe Display Competition, Milan, Italy, with Liron Cohen, ‘Walk-in Shop’                        
  • 2010 - 6th Place, Arbon Sportshalle Competition, Arbon, Switzerland, with Beat Steuri
  • 2008 - 3rd Place, FLIP-A-STRIP Competition, SMOCA, Scottsdale, AZ, with Beat Steuri
  • 2005 - 8th Place, Workshops for Disabled + Housing Competition, Lenzburg, Switzerland

Grants and Sponsorship

  • 2020 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding, Cocoa Beach, Award: $20,000
  • 2020 - Larsen, J., Hubeli R., Faculty Funding Grant, Syracuse University SOA, ‘A New Material Order’ Award: $3,000
  • 2020 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., Faculty Funding Grant, Syracuse University SOA, ‘Folded Pavilion Mock-Up’ Award: $3,000
  • 2019 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., National Concrete Masons Association (NCMA) Foundation, ‘Making the Case for CMU Residential Design and Construction’ Award:  $71,000
  • 2019 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., Syracuse University CUSE Grant, ‘Carbon Fiber Robotic Tooling’ Award: $4,962
  • 2019 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding, Autodesk BuildSpace, 2019-20, Award: $32,000
  • 2019 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding, Course Relief, Award: $46,000
  • 2018 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., National Concrete Masons Association (NCMA) Foundation, Title: ‘Making the Case for CMU Residential Design and Construction’ Award:  $23,200
  • 2018 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., Faculty Funding Grant, Syracuse University SOA, ‘Habitat Façade Design,’ Award: $5,000
  • 2018 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding, Course Relief, Award: $42,000
  • 2018 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., Faculty Funding Grant, Syracuse University SOA, ‘JIGS: Façade Detailing’ Award: $2,000
  • 2017 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding, ‘Designing for Material Innovation’ Award: $50,000
  • 2017 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding Course Relief & Class Sponsorship, Award:  $45,000                        
  • 2016 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding, ‘Rhizolith Island’ Installation Award: $440,000
  • 2016 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding, ‘Thinness Pavilion’ Installation, Award: $133,000
  • 2015 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding, ‘Fabrication Convoy,’ Award:  $23,200
  • 2015 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., Faculty Funding Grant, Syracuse University SOA, ‘Pop-Up Concrete,’ Award: $6,000
  • 2015 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., CEMEX Global R&D (CRG) Corporate Funding, ‘Tower of Tiles’ exhibition, Award: $86,000
  • 2014 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., Faculty Funding Grant, Syracuse University SOA, ‘Tower of Tiles’ project, Award: $3,500
  • 2014 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., Faculty Funding Grant, Syracuse University SOA, ‘Thinness Pavilion,’ Award: $10,000
  • 2012 - Larsen, J., Rotch Traveling Studio Grant, Sole Recipient, ‘Manufacturing Landscapes Studio: Tokyo Japan’ Award: $20,000

Lectures and Papers

Public Lectures

  • 2019 - AIA / Everson Museum Emerging Technologies in Architecture Lecture, Syracuse, NY, September 26, 2019 “Counterfactual Worlds: Designing Beyond Existing Materials”
  • 2019 - University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design, Design Matters Lecture Series, Date: March 13, 2019 “Counterfactual Worlds: Designing Beyond Existing Materials”                       
  • 2018 - Biennale Architettura 2018/ La Biennale di Venezia, Educational Session #1 & #4, Venice, Italy,  June 25-27, 2018 “Scaling-Up: Casting the Future of Medini”, Iskandar Puteri 1OOYC: Medini, Sale d’armi d arsenale, Curator: Tom Kovak, RMIT
  • 2018 - AIA National Conference - Intersections Symposium, June 21-23, New York, NY Design and Resilience, Ecology and Resilience Section, “Floating Concrete Island: Coastal Infrastructure for Mangrove Repopulation”
  • 2018 - Masonry Education Day, 1 AIA Learning Credit, April 3, Albany, NY - “The Living Classroom: Forging New Collaborations”                            
  • 2018 - 106th National Conference, ACSA Creative Achievement Award Presentation, Denver CO, March 15, “Scaling Up: Crafting the Future of Concrete in the Anthropocene”
  • 2017 - Masons Contractors Association of America (MCAA), Bi-Annual Meeting Dec. 6, Syracuse, NY - “The Living Classroom”                          
  • 2017 - Dalhousie University School of Architecture, Halifax, Canada, December 8, “Counterfactual Materiality”
  • 2017 - California College of the Arts (CCA), Designing Material Innovation Symposium, San Francisco, CA. October 26-27, San Francisco, CA, “Counterfactual Materiality”
  • 2017 - National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA), Bi-Annual National Conference, August 2017, Toronto, Canada “Living Classroom: Collaboration between Habitat for Humanity Industry & Design”
  • 2017 - Syracuse CoE Symposium, New York State Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems Session: C.1 Designed Material Systems, “Buoyant Composite Structures: Prototyping a New Coastal Infrastructure”
  • 2016 - RC 2016 (Reunion del Concreto), International Expo and Academic Conference in Concrete, October, 2016 Cartagena, Colombia - “Isle Rhizolith | Rhizolith Island”
  • 2015 - Production Sites Symposium, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, Chairs: Dr. Sophia Psarra & Sandra Loschke “Sites of Production”                        
  • 2015 - World of Concrete Europe, Paris, France,“Materialization of the Genius Loci” 
  • 2014 - Syracuse CoE Symposium, New York State Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, October 15-16 Syracuse, NY - “Design Within Reach: Case Studies for more Resilient Construction Methods”

Publications

Papers and Conference Panels

  • 2020 - Larsen, J., Hubeli. R. “Through Thick or Thin,” Lunch Journal, Invited peer reviewed journal article University of Virginia School of Architecture, Volume 15 “Thick” with Berman, Ila. Introduction
  • 2019 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J. “Origami Concrete: Robotic Folding Fabrication,” ACADIA 2019, October, 2019                            
  • 2019 - Larsen, J., “Tales of the Anthropocene: A Spatial Narrative of the Environment” ACSA 107th National ACSA Conference, Pittsburg, PA, March 28-30
  • 2019 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., “Pop-Up Concrete: Rethinking Concrete Shell Structures” ACSA 107th National ACSA Conference, Pittsburg, PA, March 28-30
  • 2018 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., “A Twisted Mind - The New Concrete PLAYbook” ACSA 2018 Fall Conference, Milwaukee, WI, Oct 11
  • 2018 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., “Risky Matter” ACSA Fall Conference, ACSA 2018 Fall Conference, Milwaukee, WI, October 11
  • 2018 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., “Playing Out the Pattern” ACSA Fall Conference, ACSA 2018 Fall Conference, Milwaukee, WI, Oct 11
  • 2018 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., “A Floating Concrete Island: Prototyping a New Coastal Infrastructure for Mangrove Repopulation,” AIA National Conference, 2018 - Intersections Symposium: Design and Resilience, Ecology and Resilience Section
  • 2018 - Weinstein, Beth. “Bringing Performance into Architectural Pedagogy,” Citation in book chapter of ‘Performing Architectures: Projects, Practices, Pedagogies’. Editors: A. Filmer and J. Rufford. Bloomsberry. “Performing Making” section on Dance Space I and bringing performance into architectural pedagogy
  • 2018 - Larsen, J., “The Living Archive,” ACSA 106th National Conference - The Ethical Imperative, Denver Colorado, March 15-17
  • 2018 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., “Forging New Collaborations: Rethinking the Affordable House” ACSA 106th National Conference – The Ethical Imperative, Denver Colorado, March 15-17
  • 2018 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., “THINNESS: The Counterfactual World of Concrete” ACSA 106th National Conference - The Ethical Imperative, Denver Colorado, March 15-17
  • 2018 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., “Rhizolith Island: Floating Concrete Breakwater for Mangrove Restoration” ACSA 106th National Conference - The Ethical Imperative, Denver Colorado, March 15-17
  • 2017 - Larsen, J., “The Living Archive and The Sublime Nature of The Anthropocene: An Architecture Design Studio,” UPLanD Journal of Urban Planning, Landscape & Environmental Design, Napoli, Italy, July 31, 2017
  • 2017 - Larsen, J., “The Living Archive and The Sublime Nature of The Anthropocene: An Architecture Design Studio,” UPLanD Journal of Urban Planning, Landscape & Environmental Design, Napoli, Italy, July 31, 2017
  • 2017 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J. “THINNESS,” ACADIA 2017 Disciplines & Disruption, October, 6, 2017                
  • 2016 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., “Thinness”, TxA Emerging Design + Technology Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX
  • 2015 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., “dis-Figure,” ACADIA 2015 Computational Ecologies: Design in the Anthropocene Cincinnati, OH, Session 10: Environmental Parametrics II
  • 2015 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., “Poof! A Stage Set Design for Cover Boy Performance” ACADIA 2015 Computational Ecologies: Design in the Anthropocene, Conference, Cincinnati, OH,
  • 2015 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., “Tower of Tiles,” ACADIA 2015 Computational Ecologies: Design in the Anthropocene, Conference, Cincinnati, OH
  • 2015 - Larsen, J., Hubeli, R., “Cover Boy Stage Set” ACSA 103rd National Conference - The Expanding Periphery and the Migrating Center, Toronto, Canada
  • 2015 - Larsen, J., “Digital as Per[form]ance – Design Methodologies for Architecture & Landscape Studio,” NCBDS 2015 Proceedings, Session: Territories/ Technologies, University of Houston, TX
  • 2014 - Hubeli, R., Larsen, J., “Mi’Raj – Central Mosque for Prishtina,” ACSA 102 Globalizing Architecture – Flows and Disruptions, Miami, FL
  • 2014 - Aziz, Azim A, and Mohamad Haziq Zulkifli. “Masjid - Selected Mosques from the Islamic World,” Citation in book chapter of ATSA Architects Sdn Bhd, 2014. Title: “Mi’Raj” Mosque Design from 2013 Prishtina Mosque Competition
  • 2013 - “For + Against: Designing for Failure,” ACSA 101 New Constellations New Ecologies Conference, San Francisco, CA
  • 2013 - “Manufactured Landscapes in Tokyo Bay,” 2013 Atmos 5 | Ecology + Design Conference, Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba, Canada
  • 2013 - “Reclaiming the Field: Material Processes Inform Design/Build Dance Spaces,” Reclaim + Remake Symposium, School of Architecture and Planning, Catholic University of America, Washington DC
  • 2010 Hubeli, R., Larsen, J. Plym Booklet - Kenneth Frampton, University of Illinois, Edited book, co-editors

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