Tigers of the Week: Stephen Cassell '86, Adam Yarinsky *87, and Kim Yao *97

Working together as leaders of the New York-based firm Architecture Research Office (ARO), Stephen Cassell ’86, Adam Yarinsky *87, and Kim Yao *97 have developed a striking portfolio of public spaces, arts institutions, private residences, and university buildings – including the award-winning addition to Princeton’s School of Architecture. Earlier this year, ARO was selected to receive one of America’s most prestigious architecture prizes, the National Design Award for Architecture. The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum will present the award Oct. 20.

 

According to the award citation, the firm has made its mark with proposals that address a broad range of challenges: “From a prototype for 1,000-square-foot low-income sustainable housing to a proposal to reinvent the role of ecology and infrastructure in New York, ARO uses design to unite the conceptual and the pragmatic within a strong, coherent vision.”

 

ARO earned acclaim for its contributions to an American Institute of Architects Latrobe Prize Fellowship project that examined the effects of rising sea levels on the harbor around New York City. The team’s designs were featured in a 2010 exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

 

VIDEO: Yarinsky explains ARO's work at a Museum of Modern Art open house.