Roger Duffy is a Design Partner in the New York office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM). His design work encompasses a wide range of award-winning urban projects, from academic, museum, and gallery spaces to transportation-oriented developments, residential, hospitality, and office buildings. Among Mr. Duffy’s key initiatives was the launching of SOM Journal, an annually published book of SOM’s best work as selected and critiqued by an independent jury of artists, designers, and critics. 

Experimentation and collaboration characterize Roger Duffy’s projects worldwide. Light is a critical aspect of his work, as is innovation in sustainability.  Mr. Duffy’s collaborative design approach is rooted in a deep understanding of the unique qualities of each client’s program, site, and aspirations. The urban context of his work has influenced many of his projects, such as his Cornell Tech Master Plan’s treatment of reclaimed space on Roosevelt Island; The University Center for the New School at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 14th Street; and The Park Hotel in Hyderabad adjacent to a railway. Two major transportation facilities designed by Mr. Duffy’s teams recently opened, Denver Union Station in downtown Denver, and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2 outside of Mumbai. In New York City, Mr. Duffy led two SOM teams that explored alternate visions for the future of both Penn Station - Madison Square Garden (2013), and the area around Grand Central Terminal (2012).   

Duffy received a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. A fellow of the AIA, he served on the board of the Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture at Columbia University for many years. He has lectured at Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Harvard, National Building Museum, Netherlands Architectural Institute, Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, University of Toronto, University of Pennsylvania, and Vassar, and he has taught seminars at Harvard and Cooper Union. His projects have received numerous design awards and are featured regularly in the press.

The Daniels Faculty is proud to host a popular public lecture series featuring leading professionals and academics in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and visual studies.

All events are free and open to the public (unless otherwise stated). Tickets are not required for events at 230 College Street and seating is provided on a first come, first served basis. As many of our speakers attract capacity crowds, we recommend that you arrive early to avoid disappointment.

No latecomers will be admitted into the theatre once the lecture has started, however an overflow room with a live video-feed will be set up in Room 106 for those unable to obtain a seat in the main lecture hall. We also post videos of most evening lectures on our YouTube channel. If you have any questions about our events, please don’t hesitate to contact our  Communications and Events Coordinator Pamela Walls at pamela.walls@daniels.utoronto.ca or 416-978-2253.