Overlay: Architecture at the Intersection of History, Community, and Culture

This lecture featured Susan T. Rodriguez, founding principal of Susan T. Rodriguez | Architecture · Design (STR | A·D), whose practice operates at the intersection of architecture and the public realm. Rodriguez presented the firm’s design philosophy, which distills the cultural, social, and environmental character of place to create architecture deeply rooted in context and collective experience. Her work emphasizes architecture as a civic act—an expression of shared values and a catalyst for connection between people and place.

Spanning interventions in historic settings, cultural institutions, and large-scale public projects, STR | A·D’s work is shaped by the layered relationships between site, history, program, and material expression. The studio’s research-driven process weaves together structure, craft, texture, light, and landscape to produce buildings that are both formally resonant and environmentally responsive. Sustainability is treated as a fundamental design principle, embedded in long-term thinking and respect for ecological systems.

Through a presentation of recent projects—including the new Davis Center at the Harlem Meer in Central Park—Rodriguez explored the concept of OVERLAY as a design strategy: an intentional act of building upon what exists to engage with memory, evolve meaning over time, and shape new spatial identities.