Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, UNC Charlotte (2004)
Master of Architecture, Columbia University (2013)
Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC
When John Barrett came to UNC Charlotte, he had very little background in art or architecture. The School of Architecture "gave me access to a creative, intellectual world that was previously unknown to me," he says, and taught him to "love architecture and design."
Since graduating, John has held positions at several New York City firms, including Smith Miller + Hawkinson Architects, Steven Learner Studio, and ARO. Now a project manager at SHoP Architects, he is currently focused on two large projects: the Syracuse University National Veterans Resource Complex, an academic and cultural building, and 242 Broome Street, a mixed use residential, commercial, and museum building in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
John says that a study abroad trip to Spain, his first trip to Europe, was "an amazing experience," but that it was the School's home building, Storrs, that provided the best learning environment. "Storrs Hall is an especially striking example of an architecture school which itself constantly imparted lessons. The salon, the grand stair, the gallery were all iconic spaces to gather and present work."
Having completed his graduate degree at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, John values the intimacy of the program at UNC Charlotte.
"The SoA provides opportunities to learn from and work directly alongside extremely passionate, talented instructors at an incredible value. Having gone to a larger graduate school, I now very much appreciate the constant contact and personal relationships I consistently had with professors at UNC Charlotte."