Biography

Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, Hansy Better Barraza received her first professional Bachelors of Architecture degree from Cornell University and a Masters of Architecture in Urban Design from the Harvard Design School. Hansy is a Registered Architect and a LEED Accredited Professional. As an Associate Professor of Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and a practicing architect, Hansy offers an intense focus on design methods that embrace social responsibility. Hansy was also a lecturer at MIT and a Visiting Critic at Cornell University prior to joining the faculty at RISD. She has been an invited critic and lecturer at Harvard University, Yale, Columbia University, Northeastern University and many other institutions around the country.

Hansy is currently serving as a Trustee for the Boston Architectural College and is on the editorial board for the Critical Productive Journal examining the intersection of architecture, culture and theory. She served on the Board of Directors for the Boston Society of Architects and on the Roslindale Village Main Streets (RVMS) Design Committee.  She is a recipient of a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts in support of a forthcoming book The Architecture of Social Exchange. As one of the principal founders of Studio Luz Architects, the firm has been featured in major national and international exhibits and publications.

Academic Research/Areas of Interest

• Architecture
• Housing
• Humanitarian Design
• Representation and Architecture
• Fabrication
• Spatial Practices
• The Everyday
• Vernacular Typology Studies
• Design Research
• Design Theory
• Design, Ethics, and Responsibility
• Participatory Design
• Sustainability
• Urban Planning

Hansy L. Better

Associate Professor
hbetter@risd.edu
401-454-6291

• BARC, Cornell University
• MA2, Harvard University

Download

Courses

Links