June 7, 2016
Gonçalo Byrne selected as 2016-2017 Regnier distinguished visiting chair
World-renowned architect Gonçalo Byrne will be the 2016-2017 Victor L. Regnier distinguished visiting chair in the architecture department at Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning & Design.
As the Victor L. Regnier distinguished visiting chair in architecture, Byrne will co-teach a graduate level architecture design studio course with a graduate faculty member for the academic year, visiting a few times in the fall and spring semesters.
Byrne graduated from the School of Fine Arts of Lisbon and carries an honorary degree from the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Lisbon and from the Faculty of Architecture of Alghero, in Italy.
In 1975 he established his own practice and founded his firm, Gonçalo Byrne Arquitectos in 1991. Byrne has taught at Harvard University and several universities in Coimbra, Viseu, Lausanne, Venice, Mendrisio, Leuven, Milan, Pamplona, Spain and Lisbon.
Byrne's recent work includes the requalification of the Portuguese National Bank headquarters and the Thalia Theater in Lisbon with Barbas Lopes architects; the expansion of the National Museum Machado de Castro in Coimbra; the Estoi Pousada de Portugal in Faro; and the Estoril Sol Complex in Cascais.
Byrne's work has been awarded by the International Association of Art Critics, the Gold Medal by the French Academy of Architecture, and recently with the Piranesi Prix de Rome 2014 for the National Museum Machado de Castro. In 2005, Byrne was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Santiago da Espada by the president of the Portuguese Republic.
"We are absolutely delighted to have one of the premier architects from Portugal working with our students next year," said Matthew Knox, professor and head of the architecture department. "Professor Byrne will be hosted by professor Vladimir Krstic."
The Victor L. Regnier distinguished visiting chair in architecture was established in 2003 by the children of Victor and Helen Regnier to enrich the educational experiences of Kansas State University architecture students by exposing them to the finest architects from around the world.