Title

Prof. of Architecture, Dir. of Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program

Education

Master of Philosophy in Architectural History - Theory, University of Manchester, England
Master of Architecture, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
B.A. in English, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Biography

Thomas Barrie AIA teaches undergraduate and graduate design studios and history-theory seminars. Professor Barrie served as Director of the School of Architecture from 2002 to 2007 and is the recipient of a number of teaching awards including the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) Creative Achievement Award and the ACSA/American Institute of Architecture Students New Teaching Award.

Two parallel interests comprise Professor Barrie’s teaching, scholarship and publication – both of which occupy the common ground of syncretic approaches to meaningful placemaking in the built environment:

The first interest focuses on alternative histories of architecture and, in particular, the interrelationship of a culture’s architecture and its cultural/religious beliefs and communal rituals. Professor Barrie is a scholar of sacred architecture and the author of The Architecture of the In-between: The Mediating Roles of Architecture (Routledge, London, 2010), and Spiritual Path, Sacred Place: Myth Ritual and Meaning in Architecture (Shambhala Publications, 1996). His scholarship has been supported by numerous grants, including two from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Study in the Fine Arts. His field research has brought him to sacred sites around the world, and he has contributed book chapters, published numerous articles, edited academic journal theme issues and lectured extensively on this subject area.

Barrie's second focus is a commitment to broadening the scope and audience of architecture through research, extension and community-based design studios in housing and urban design. His work educates future leaders of the profession while engaging the public in critical issues regarding the built environment. Professor Barrie holds an NC State Research, Extension and Engagement appointment in Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities. The mission of this position is to provide educational resources for government, non-profit and community leaders, students, and the general public, and innovative and applicable solutions to the housing and urban challenges that North Carolina communities face. Professor Barrie also maintains a critical architectural practice in Raleigh, North Carolina and his built works and projects have been recognized by a number of design awards including two from the Detroit Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Before joining NC State Barrie was Professor of Architecture at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan where he founded The Detroit Studio. He has also taught at the University of Manchester (UK), Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) and Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Download a Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Focus Area

Architectural Design, history-theory, housing and urban design

Publications

The Architecture of the In-between: The Mediating Roles of Architecture (Routledge, London, 2010)

Spiritual Path, Sacred Place: Myth Ritual and Meaning in Architecture (Shambhala Publications, 1996)

Departments

Architecture, Faculty, Research & Extension