Biography

Music and literature. Philosophy and physics. History and math. As a student, Lee Skolnick equally prized and devoured these subjects. This passion for knowledge across disciplines led him to architecture, where they all converge.

This interdisciplinary view informs Lee’s approach to every project. He creates narratives that unfold as people move through his designs, all senses engaged. His work can educate and entertain. Convey meaning and emotion. Provoke thought and imagination.

Lee achieves this through a keen understanding of how humans make sense of the world and themselves, which is to say, storytelling. He generates a fully integrated architectural experience to transcend a space’s purpose.

Throughout history and at its core, architecture creates meaningful experiences that connect people with their culture and community. In his work and with his firm, Lee evolves this rich tradition.

Since the 1980s, he has been awarded Architectural Digest’s “AD100,” the “Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement from The Cooper Union”, the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from AIA Long Island, Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Leicester in Great Britain, and his work has won numerous local, state and national AIA Honor Awards.

Lee is also co-author of the book What is Exhibition Design?; an unparalleled handbook that explores what constitutes successful design and clarifies the roles of the various disciplines involved in exhibition design while exploring how new technologies expand the possibilities for both form and function.

Education

Bachelor of Architecture, George Ledlie Prize Recipient, Cooper Union

Boston Architectural Center

Professional Affiliations

American Alliance of Museums
American Institute of Architects
Architectural League
Association of Children’s Museums
Association of Science-Technology Centers
New York City American Institute of Architects
Society for Experiential Graphic Design

Board Memberships

A Blade of Grass Board of Directors, New York, NY
2015 – present

Cooper Union Board of Trustees, New York, NY
2012 – 2015

Vice President of the Board of Directors of The Longhouse Reserve, East Hampton, NY
2011 – present

Chairman of the Board, Architecture OMI, New York
2008 – present