Florida Atlantic University Names Joseph Choma New Director of the School of Architecture

Image: Joseph Choma, photo by Ken Scar, Clemson University 

Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters has named Joseph Choma as the new director of its School of Architecture. He will start in this position on Friday, July 1, replacing Francis Lyn, who has been serving as interim director.

“We are thrilled to have Joseph joining us as our new director,” said Michael Horswell, Ph.D., dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters. “Our School of Architecture is working on cutting-edge design and research, and Joseph’s leadership will be integral to moving this work forward.”

Choma is currently the director of the Design Topology Lab and the director of the Master of Science in Architecture program at Clemson University. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Cambridge. Recently, he served as visiting associate professor at MIT and was the 2019-20 NCCR Digital Fabrication Researcher in Residence at the ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich).

As a researcher, Choma’s interests lie at the intersection of mathematics, folding, structure and materials. Notable projects have included an application of his patented foldable fiberglass structures as shelter in the wake of natural disasters. This project was presented at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Atlanta “Emerging Voices” competition in 2013 and at the solo exhibition “Object to Atmosphere” for the Barbara Asher Gallery in Atlanta. Choma has received awards from both the AIA and the American Composites Manufacturers Association. His recent material explorations have been noted by Composites World Magazine as “spearheading research into the use of foldable composites.”

“I want to foster a school that is critical of the growing complexities associated with the cultural and technological project of architecture,” said Choma. “Let’s embrace constraints as opportunities and tackle the most challenging problems of our time.”

More about Joseph Choma on Archinect News.

FAU’s School of Architecture provides a lower-division program of design studies on the main campus at Boca Raton and a fully accredited Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) program on the Fort Lauderdale campus. The B.Arch. program is unique as a three-year, upper-division professional degree program. The program is situated within South Florida’s dynamic coastal and urban environment providing a laboratory for investigating new tools and methods of design in an era of disruption.

The School promotes integrative and innovative design in preparation for architectural practice. Students develop critical thinking skills and knowledge through exposure to historical and theoretical foundations, emerging technologies, interdisciplinary research, community engagement, and ethical responsibilities of design, all within an environment that fosters equity and inclusion.

For more information, visit FAU | School of Architecture .

Image: Collage of Joseph Choma's work