Nordic American Connections: Conversations on Architecture and Design is a four-part series that presents prominent architects, critics and scholars to reflect on Scandinavian and Nordic design’s enduring impact in shaping modern American design since the 19th century.
With renewed interest in the Nordic tradition and its resilient building strategies for climate action and wellbeing, contemporary architects and designers, both Nordic and American, remain strong contributors to the American landscape with award-winning projects reflecting cross cultural influences. The series continues in 2026 on Thursday, January 15, 2026, with Nordic in NYC, Established and New(er) at Scandinavia House in New York City. The panel will highlight leading architecture and design firms in New York City, representing a unique vision while sharing a commitment to values that guide contemporary architecture. These firms embody the continuing influence of Nordic design principles —centering human comfort, social equity and welfare, environmental responsibility, natural material and handcraft— within a global context.
Participants include Steven Holl of STEVEN HOLL ARCHITECTS; Matthew Lister, Managing Director at Gehl Americas; and Anne-Rachel Schiffmann, Architect and Interior Architecture Discipline Director out of Snøhetta’s New York office, and the program will be moderated by Susan Chin of DesignConnects.
The panel is organized by ASF with Susan Chin in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects New York, and American Institute of Architects Continental Europe.
AIANY Continuing Education Credits are approved for this session; attendees receive 1.5 Learning Units | 1.5 HSW credits. To receive the credits, please ask to sign the AIANY student form at check-in.
PANELISTS
STEVEN HOLL was born in 1947 in Bremerton, Washington. He graduated from the University of Washington and pursued architecture studies in Rome in 1970. In 1976, he joined the Architectural Association in London and in 1977 established STEVEN HOLL ARCHITECTS. Considered one of America’s most influential architects, he is recognized for his ability to blend space and light with great contextual sensitivity and to utilize the unique qualities of each project to create a concept-driven design. He specializes in seamlessly integrating new projects into contexts with particular cultural and historic importance.
Steven Holl has realized projects both in the United States and internationally including the Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle, Washington (1997); the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland (1998); Simmons Hall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2002); the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri (2007); the Horizontal Skyscraper, Shenzhen, China (2009), the Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Herning, Denmark (2009); the Linked Hybrid, Beijing, China (2009); Cité de l’Océan et du Surf, Biarritz, France (2011); Reid Building at the Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland (2014); the University of Iowa, Visual Arts Building, Iowa City, Iowa (2016); the Lewis Arts complex at Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey (2017); Maggie’s Centre Barts, London, United Kingdom (2017); the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (2018); the Glassell School of Art for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (2018); The REACH, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. (2019); Hunters Point Library, Queens Public Library, New York (2019); the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (2020); Cofco Cultural and Health Center in Shanghai, China (2021), the Rubenstein Commons at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey (2022), and Meander Housing in Helsinki, Finland (2024). Steven Holl received the 2016 VELUX Daylight Award in Architecture, the 2014 Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award for Architecture, the 2012 AIA Gold Medal, the 2010 RIBA Jencks Award, and the first ever Arts Award of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards in 2009. Steven Holl is a tenured Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. He has also taught at the University of Washington, Pratt Institute, and the University of Pennsylvania.
As Managing Director at Gehl Americas, MATTHEW LISTER leads the U.S.-based teams and oversees work at the intersection of public life, design, strategy, and place, blending systems thinking and storytelling into a holistic approach to urban transformation. He treats places as living expressions of the relationships and values that shape how we live together, and partners with municipalities, developers, foundations, cultural institutions, and Fortune 500 companies to align place strategy with organizational purpose and community vitality.
His work spans downtown revitalization in cities like Akron, San José, and Philadelphia, as well as public space masterplans, cultural district strategies, and development frameworks across the U.S. and Latin America. He focuses on translating complex dynamics – policy, finance, design, community voice, and market forces – into strategies that are both ambitious and grounded. The goal is always systemic change: solutions that are visionary but deeply responsive to local realities.
At the heart of his work is a simple conviction: joy matters. He explores how joy can be a source of resilience, connection, and creativity in civic life. Whether through public spaces that spark delight or processes that foster care, Matthew centers joy as both a design value and a social force.
He lives in Brooklyn and enjoys playing music, cycling, reading, improvisational comedy, and cooking overly ambitious meals for friends and family in his tiny kitchen.
ANNE-RACHEL SCHIFFMMAN is an Architect and Interior Architecture Discipline Director based out of Snøhetta’s New York office, leading the studio’s interior architecture efforts. Her expertise has anchored a wide range of projects, including the award-winning interior design of Calgary’s Central Library, the Student Learning Center at Toronto Metropolitan University, the SFMOMA Expansion, the Stillspotting installation for New York’s Guggenheim Museum, and the French Laundry Kitchen Expansion for chef Thomas Keller.
In addition, she led the design for the Observation Deck at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt in New York, a collaboration with Kenzo Digital that opened in October 2021.
More recently, she led the design of Tokyo Burnside, a chef-driven casual café by day and a restaurant, bar, and lounge by night, a collaboration with Bronx-based food, design, and art collective Ghetto Gastro in Shibuya, Tokyo. She was also in charge of the recently opened Museum of Sex expansion in Miami, a space that explores the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human desire.
Anne-Rachel has been a guest critic, juror, and lecturer at Columbia GSAPP, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, FIT, ICFF, and FRAME Magazine.
She participated in talk and lecture series at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, at TIFA/Harbourfront Centre, discussing the role of the public library in today’s times and the communities it lives in, talked about Artist Collaborations in Immersive Environments at HD Expo/Las Vegas and most recently moderated an insightful discussion on spatial design and well-being, organized in collaboration with Swissnex and the Consulate General of Switzerland for NYCxDesign at SWA.
MODERATOR
Susan Chin, FAIA, Hon. ASLA is an urbanist and civic leader who leads the independent consultancy DesignConnects, advancing design excellence in the public realm. Most recently, she served as Co-Commissioner of the U.S. Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, in partnership with the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Previously, Chin led Design Trust for Public Space, a nationally recognized New York City nonprofit, where she spent more than eight years shaping innovative, equitable public spaces. Before that, she served for over two decades as Assistant Commissioner for Capital Projects at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, commissioning over $3B in high-performance architecture and public art across the city. A national leader in the profession, Chin chaired the AIA Committee on Design in 2024, served as Vice President of the AIA National Board, and was Chapter President of AIA New York. Her civic service includes the East Midtown Governing Group and the NYC & Company Board of Directors. Her honors include the 2025 William A. Bernoudy Resident in Architecture at the American Academy in Rome; Honorary Membership in the American Society of Landscape Architects; the Kideney Gold Medal from AIA New York State; The Ohio State University Distinguished Alumna Award; and the Loeb Fellowship at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Future panels in 2026: Nordic firms in NYC, their values and approach that guide their architecture and practice
March 19, 2026 – Women in Nordic Architecture, Craft Meets Design
From Aino and Elissa Aalto, and Loja Saarinen to contemporary women architects during Women’s History Month
May 14, 2026 – Next in Nordic American Architecture: Resilience Meets Wellbeing
Contemporary Nordic architects across America, the issues they face, sustainable design, and cross-cultural influence