Stefan Al
Early in his career as a practicing architect, Stefan AL worked on the competition and commission for the 2000-foot tall Canton Tower, briefly the world’s tallest tower. Following its construction, as a senior associate principal at KPF, he contributed to the design of mixed-use master plans and high-rise towers across Asia and the United States. Currently, Al works with his private practice on sustainable design projects.
In addition to his design work, he has served in various capacities to major institutions, such as the World Heritage Center of UNESCO, working on the preservation of world heritage in Latin America, the Hong Kong government, consulting on the development of the city’s harbor and external lighting guidelines, the Chinese government, advising on new urban design guidelines, and to the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, serving as an expert on compact city design, and the Urban Green Council.
Al is a licensed architect in New York and The Netherlands and a LEED accredited professional.
Sustainable architecture, urban design, urban resilience, digital fabrication, transit-oriented-development
Architecture studio courses and ARCH 5705: Architecture and Urbanism Seminar (WAAC)
He has published eight books that explore the pressing design challenges in our contemporary cities, including climate change and high density. They have been widely acclaimed including by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Record, The Times and NPR.
2022. Supertall: How the World’s Tallest Buildings Are Reshaping Our Cities and Our Lives, W.W. Norton;
2018. Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise: Green and Gray Strategies, Island Press;
2017. The Strip: Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream, MIT Press;
2017. Beyond Mobility: Planning Cities for People with Places. Island Press (with Robert Cervero and Erick Guerra)
Stefan's latest book, "Supertall: How the World’s Tallest Buildings Are Reshaping Our Cities and Our Lives," was named by the New York Times Book Review as “a thoughtful inquiry into the new generations of skyscrapers…There is a lot of rich history here, well and concisely told (and illustrated with superb line drawings, a refreshing change).”
His co-authored book, "Beyond Mobility: Planning Cities for People and Places," has won the National Urban Design Award.
In 2018, Stefan was chosen to become a TED Resident, with several of his videos exceeding two million views.
Early in his career as a practicing architect, Stefan worked on the winning competition entry and commission for the 2000-foot tall Canton Tower, briefly the world’s tallest tower.
Education
Ph.D., City and Regional Planning, UC Berkeley
M.Arch., University College London
M.Sc., Architecture, Delft University of Technology
