Charles Renfro

ABOUT

Charles Renfro joined Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) in 1997 and became a Partner in 2004. He led the design and construction of the studio’s first concert hall outside of the U.S. – The Tianjin Juilliard School in China – as well as the studio’s first public park outside of the U.S. – Zaryadye Park in Moscow. Charles has also led the design of much of DS+R’s academic portfolio, with projects completed at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Brown University, the University of Chicago, and the recently completed Columbia Business School. Charles Renfro is leading the design of multiple interdisciplinary arts centers, including the new home for the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance in Harlem, New York and Sarofim Hall, a new home for Rice University’s Visual Arts department in Houston. Charles has been recognized twice with the Out100 list, and since 2012, has been deeply involved with BOFFO, a non profit organization that supports the work of queer LGBTQ+ BIPOC artists and designers. He is a faculty member of the School of Visual Arts.

AWARDS

• Storefront for Art and Architecture Board
• Former Vice President
• Former President & Former Member
• National Academy of Design Academician
• Out 100 List
• Notable LGBTQ Leader
• Crain’s New York Business
• Texas Medal of Arts Recipient

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE OFFICE

Founded in 1981, Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) is a design studio whose practice spans the fields of architecture, urban design, installation art, multi-media performance, digital media, and print. With a focus on cultural and civic projects, DS+R’s work addresses the changing role of institutions and the future of cities. The studio is based in New York and is comprised of over 100 architects, designers, artists and researchers, led by four partners—Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio, Charles Renfro and Benjamin Gilmartin. DS+R’s cross genre work has been distinguished with TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” list and the first grant awarded in the field of architecture from the MacArthur Foundation, which identified Diller and Scofidio as, “architects who have created an alternative form of architectural practice that unites design, performance, and electronic media with cultural and architectural theory and criticism. Their work explores how space functions in our culture and illustrates that architecture, when understood as the physical manifestation of social relationships, is everywhere, not just in buildings.”

AWARDS OF THE STUDIO

• Medal of Honor in Architecture, National Arts Club
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Leading European Architects Forum (LEAF)
• Lifetime Achievement Award, National Academy of Design
• Centennial Medal, American Academy in Rome
• Architecture Prize, Royal Academy of Arts