Organized by ASF with Susan Chin of DesignConnects, in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects New York, and American Institute of Architects Continental Europe, 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 kicks off on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, with Nordic Influences in America, the Last 25 Years at Scandinavia House in New York City. The panel will focus on the historical perspective on the Nordic design approach and emphasis on ‘complete design’—human comfort, social equity and welfare, environmental responsibility, natural material and handcraft–and ties to the Homeland: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. Most importantly, the panel highlights Nordic design’s pivotal role in Modernism in America.
This opening panel features Rosalie Genevro as moderator, architectural historian and urbanist; Peter MacKeith, dean of Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, University of Arkansas; Thomas Phifer, founding partner of Thomas Phifer and Partners; and Tod Williams, co-founder of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners.
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.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS
Rosalie Genevro, Hon. AIANY, is an architectural historian and urbanist who has been an active participant in New York’s architecture and civic communities for over four decades. She led the Architectural League of New York as executive director from 1985 to 2023, originating major research, publishing, and engagement projects such as Urban Omnibus and American Roundtable and significant exhibitions such as Ten Shades of Green, as well as managing the organizational and programmatic work of the League. She has contributed her expertise to numerous civic and professional committees, advisory boards, juries, and other undertakings as a committed New Yorker. She currently serves on the boards of directors of Places Journal, HypotheKIDS, and the Architecture Review Collective (parent organization of the New York Review of Architecture) and teaches as an adjunct faculty member in the New York/Paris program at Columbia GSAPP.
Peter B. MacKeith, Assoc. AIA is dean and professor of architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas and Honorary Consul for Finland in Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri. A leading design educator and administrator, he has served as a liaison between the United States and Finland for more than 30 years in architecture, design, and culture. A Fulbright Fellow to Finland in 1990, he lived and worked there for a decade and has written and lectured extensively on Nordic architecture. In 2012, he curated the Nordic Pavilion at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, and in 2014 was installed as Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland. Currently, he is lead commissioner and curator of the U.S. Pavilion at the 2025 Biennale Architettura. MacKeith also chairs the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program and serves as adjunct curator for architecture and design at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Thomas Phifer, FAIA founded Thomas Phifer and Partners in 1997. His completed works include the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, expansions of Glenstone Museum, the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Corning Museum of Glass, the U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City, and the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, among others. Current projects include the TR Warszawa Theatre, Wagner Park Pavilion, and private residences in Texas, Maine, and New York. His firm has received more than thirty AIA Honor Awards and numerous international distinctions. Phifer’s honors include the Rome Prize, the AIA New York Medal of Honor and President’s Award, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and has taught at Columbia, Yale, Cornell, and Georgia Tech, among others. In 2022, Clemson University established the Thomas Phifer Fellowship to support underrepresented architecture students. Phifer received both his Bachelor and Master of Architecture from Clemson University.
Tod Williams, FAIA with Billie Tsien founded their New York architecture studio in 1986. From museums, to academic institutions, to residential projects, experience and spirit are at the heart of all their designs. They imbue the work with rootedness, light, texture, and detail. Some of their notable projects include the renovation of David Geffen Hall’s Public Spaces at Lincoln Center, New York; The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia; and the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. Their current work includes the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City (opening later this year) and the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, Chicago (opening in summer 2026). The firm’s work has been recognized by numerous citations including the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association, National Medal of Arts from President Obama and the 2013 AIA Architecture Firm Award. As an educator and practitioner, Tod committed to making a better world through architecture.
Future panels in 2026:
January 15, 2026 – Nordic in New York City, Established and New(er)
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