The Yale School of Architecture, one of the U.S.’s most prestigious architectural institutions, has named its next dean: Deborah Berke. She will take the reins from current dean Robert A.M. Stern on July 1, 2016—the same year that the school celebrates its centennial.

Acclaimed for buildings and spaces that exhibit a studied simplicity and clarity of vision, Berke runs Deborah Berke Partners in Manhattan, a studio of more than 60 people. Since founding the firm in 1982, she has designed a wide range of residential, commercial, and cultural projects, including the Bard College Conservatory of Music, the renovation and expansion of a building by Louis Kahn for the Yale University School of Art, multiple locations of the 21C Museum Hotel chain, and numerous private homes in New York City and the surrounding area.

Lobby of 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville in Bentonville, Arizona.

Berke earned her B.F.A. and B.Arch at the Rhode Island School of Design (which awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2005), but has taught at Yale since 1987, when she was named an adjunct professor of architectural design. In addition to making teaching a key part of her work, she has been an active participant in numerous institutions focused on design for the public good, including the Forum + Institute for Urban Design, desigNYC, and the Design Trust for Public Space.

Bard College Conservatory of Music in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

Deborah Berke Partners

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