MIT World Speakers

Adele Naude Santos

Adèle Naudé Santos was previously professor at the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design where her academic focus was the design of housing environments. Her interdisciplinary courses in urban design encouraged architecture, landscape, and urban design students to collaborate and address unsolved problems in the urban environment.

Before Berkeley, she was the founding dean at the University of California at San Diego School of Architecture and professor of architecture and urban design at the University of Pennsylvania where she was also chair of the architecture department for six years. She also taught at Harvard University Graduate School of Design and at Rice University. She has had numerous visiting appointments through out the United States and the world, including Italy and in her native South Africa.

Santos holds an AA Diploma from the Architectural Association in London. She also received a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University as well as a Master of Architecture and a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition to her academic work, she is principal architect in the San Francisco-based firm, Santos Prescott and Associates. Santos has received numerous awards and honors including being named Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1996. She has won numerous competitions for projects including the Perris Civic Center (CA), three facilities at Arts Park (CA), the Affordable Prototypical Multi-Family Housing for Franklin/LaBrea in Los Angeles, and Penn Children's Center (PA).