Richard Olcott is a Design Partner in Ennead Architects. Olcott, together with his Design Partners, sets the design standards for the firm as well as charts its future direction. His award-winning work for educational, cultural and civic institutions is recognized internationally for architectural excellence. 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 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.
Olcott received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University College of Architecture, Art and Planning and spent a year in Cornell’s Program in Urban Design at the Architectural Association in London. Complementing his professional practice, Olcott is a member of the Board of Directors of the Municipal Art Society and a member of the organization’s Preservation Committee. Olcott served as a Commissioner of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission from 1996 to 2007. He is the recipient of the American Academy in Rome’s Founders Rome Prize Fellowship for 2003-04. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
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.
Olcott received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University College of Architecture, Art and Planning and spent a year in Cornell’s Program in Urban Design at the Architectural Association in London. Complementing his professional practice, Olcott is a member of the Board of Directors of the Municipal Art Society and a member of the organization’s Preservation Committee. Olcott served as a Commissioner of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission from 1996 to 2007. He is the recipient of the American Academy in Rome’s Founders Rome Prize Fellowship for 2003-04. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
