Dawn Finley is a founding principal of Interloop—Architecture and has over twenty years of experience practicing architecture. She received a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Michigan College of Architecture and Urban Planning where she was selected for the Burton L. Kampner Design Award. She received a Master of Architecture from Rice University School of Architecture.
Prior to establishing Interloop—Architecture, Dawn was a Project Designer with Ogawa/Depardon Architects in New York, NY, where she designed and managed the construction of a range of residential and commercial projects, including Bar 89, an award winning new building in SOHO. Her practice experience also includes consulting design work on research lab buildings for Schlumberger Laboratories in Rosharon, Texas and office buildings in Santiago, Chile and Houston, Texas. Dawn was the first U.S. designer commissioned by the internationally recognized design brand, Droog Design to design and produce a speculative product prototype. The product “Do Post” (an instant message mailbox) was first introduced at the Kunsthal, Rotterdam for the 2000 Milan International Furniture Fair.
Finley combines professional practice with academics. She is a tenured professor and the director of graduate studies at Rice University School of Architecture and has been a visiting critic at numerous institutions, including UIC, Princeton University, U.C. Berkeley, and the Architectural Association. Her academic research includes twentieth century techniques of architectural representation in relation to graphic design as well as future forms of civic space in the United States. Finley was honored by DesignIntelligence as one of 25 Most Admired Educators for 2016. She recently completed System of Novelties (Park Books, Zurich) a book featuring the research, writing, and design work of Interloop—Architecture.
