Richard Olcott
Recipient of the American Academy in Rome's Founders Rome Prize Fellowship. Current projects are the Peabody Essex Museum Expansion, the United States Embassy in Ankara and his eighth project for Stanford University.
Richard Olcott is a design partner in Ennead Architects. His design approach has been driven by three principal pursuits: the exploration of contemporary architecture as a means of creating a sense of place and identity; the integration of contemporary architecture into historic or otherwise significant urban or campus fabric; and advocacy for the preservation of significant historic buildings and districts. He creates buildings that are at once expressive of their missions and integral to their particular contexts while avoiding any formulaic language or "style."
Notable projects include the Anderson Collection at Stanford University, Yale University Art Gallery Renovation and Expansion, Stanford University Bing Concert Hall, Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, William J. Clinton Presidential Center, WGBH Headquarters; Williams College Paresky Center and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. Among his current projects are the Peabody Essex Museum Expansion, the United States Embassy in Ankara and his eighth project for Stanford University, the new Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H) and Neurosciences Institute (SNI) Building.
His work has received numerous awards for design excellence, among them, National AIA Honor Awards, New York State AIA Awards, New York City AIA Awards and American Architecture Awards from the Chicago Athenaeum, as well as many local and regional awards.
Complementing his professional practice, Mr. Olcott has been active in several professional associations and regulatory agencies. He is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and the Architectural League and a board member of the Municipal Art Society. Mr. Olcott's critical and balanced attitude toward the integration of new architecture with the historic urban fabric was recognized by his appointment as a Commissioner of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission where he served from 1996 to 2007. Mr. Olcott is the recipient of the American Academy in Rome's Founders Rome Prize Fellowship for 2003-04. Mr. Olcott earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University in 1979.
