Geoffrey von Oeyen
Associate Professor of Practice
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- Phone:(213) 740-2723
AB Urban Studies with Honors, Stanford University M.Phil, History and Philosophy of Architecture, University of Cambridge M.Arch, Harvard GSD
Geoffrey von Oeyen is Principal of Geoffrey von Oeyen Design and Principal/Partner of von Oeyen Architects in Los Angeles, and teaches and coordinates architectural design studios as a faculty member at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Architecture. In 2014, von Oeyen’s design work was awarded the Architectural League Prize from the Architectural League of New York, which included an exhibition, lecture, interviews, and a book by Princeton Architectural Press. He was also awarded a fellowship residency at The MacDowell Colony, during which he produced writings and drawings regarding his 2014 USC School of Architecture symposium, exhibition, and workshop titled Performative Composites: Sailing Architecture. He is currently responsible for the design of his residential, commercial, and institutional commissions in California, Texas, Georgia, New York, and Puerto Rico. Prior to founding Geoffrey von Oeyen Design and von Oeyen Architects, he was an Associate at Gehry Partners, LLP. During his tenure at Gehry Partners from 2005 to 2011, von Oeyen played key roles in the design of several geometrically and technically complex, large-scale, culturally significant international projects, including the Fondation Louis Vuitton pour la creation art museum in Paris, France, and the UTS Business School in Sydney, Australia.
Geoffrey von Oeyen received his Master of Architecture (MArch) degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), where he accepted the Faculty Design Award and Architecture Chair’s Letter of Commendation. Prior to attending the Harvard GSD, he was a US/UK Fulbright Scholar at the University of Cambridge, where he received his Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree in the History and Philosophy of Architecture. Geoffrey’s (MPhil) dissertation on Le Corbusier extended his undergraduate honors thesis from Stanford University, where he graduated with Honors in Urban Studies (AB) and minors in Art History and History. In addition to his current faculty position at USC, von Oeyen has taught in various capacities at UC Berkeley, the Harvard University GSD, and the University of Cambridge, and has lectured about his design work at the Harvard University GSD, the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley, and Parsons The New School for Design. Geoffrey von Oeyen has served as a design juror at several schools of architecture in addition to USC, including the Harvard University GSD, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan, the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), and the University of Cambridge. An avid sailor, von Oeyen raced for the Stanford University Varsity Sailing Team and as the team captain and helmsman aboard Frank Gehry’s Beneteau First 44.7, FOGGY, and continues to race throughout Southern California and to sail internationally. Geoffrey lives in Los Angeles with his wife, an accomplished artist and illustrator, and together they are raising their two young sons.
Related Links: geoffreyvonoeyen.com
- 114Architecture Culture and CommunityArchitecture Culture and CommunityThis introductory course investigates the role of architecture as a cultural product linked to a variety of external influences that shape the built and natural environment. Students will develop an awareness of design as a collaborative process and address issues of environmental sustainability, social responsibility, human behavior, diversity, and community.
- 202aLArchitectural Design IIArchitectural Design II
Students will build on the techniques and methodologies gained in the first-year program, while adding to them a comprehensive idea about site as a cultural and physical generator of architectural form. Students will be introduced to methods of site analysis and research, new generative drawing techniques, as well as the architectural and disciplinary conventions associated with site work.
Prerequisite: ARCH 102bL.
- 512Material + Process Material SystemsMaterial + Process Material Systems
Prerequisite(s): ARCH 211 or 511L This design research seminar examines both disciplinary and extra-disciplinary technologies, techniques, and theories for the use of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite material systems in the design and construction of architecture.
Students will gain a basic understanding of the engineering principles behind these material systems and establish a background in the architectural applications for FRP, both historic and contemporary. Students will also study FRP composites through selected extra-disciplinary precedents, such as racing sailboats, contemporary aircraft, and wind turbines.
Students will examine the advantages and disadvantages of FRP composite systems, critically considering how FRP materials perform in relation to conventional building systems, technically and aesthetically. Students will explore performance-based FRP design by reimagining existing precedents as new architectural building systems.
Students will be required to consider formal surface geometries, spatial opportunities, structure, life-safety, fabrication, transport, and assembly as some of the factors impacting architectural performance. Students will create a research-based design project, including original writing, drawings, diagrams, and models, speculating about the possibilities for use of FRP composite building systems in contemporary architectural design.
- 611Advanced Building Systems IntegrationAdvanced Building Systems IntegrationNo other building system has more impact on the overall look, character and performance of a building than its façade system. However, far too often, aesthetic concerns have dominated façade design discourse while performative considerations have been limited. This course aims to develop a fundamental understanding of the relationship between the façade, building performance (energy consumption) and indoor thermal and visual comfort. We will work to develop a critical awareness of performance issues related to façade systems, the opportunities for enhanced performance and core skills necessary to evaluate, determine and integrate appropriate façade technology. Upon completion of the course, students will: Understand fundamental principles of façade construction and detailing. Understand fundamental relationships between energy, environment and building enclosure. Utilize appropriate modeling and analysis software. Develop core skills to evaluate, determine and integrate appropriate façade technology. Develop high performance façade proposals. Develop framework for further ongoing research on the subject.