The three senior design partners of New York-based Polshek Partnership will discuss the firm’s current and recent work, which includes a number of buildings that have shaped the identity of many of New York’s and the country’s most prominent cultural and educational institutions.

Known for architectural excellence, Polshek Partnership is a 145-person firm with expertise in architecture, master planning, historic preservation and interior design. The majority of the firm’s work is for cultural, governmental, educational, scientific, and not-for-profit institutions.

Richard Olcott describes his design approach as being driven by three principal pursuits: the exploration of contemporary architecture and technology as a means of creating a sense of place and identity; the integration of contemporary architecture into historic or otherwise significant urban or campus fabric, including the renovation and expansion of individual landmarks; and advocacy for the preservation of significant historic buildings and districts. Among Mr. Olcott’s current projects are the Yale University Art Gallery Expansion, Stanford University Law School Academic Building, Stanford University Performing Arts Center Concert Hall, and The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law. His recently completed projects include William J. Clinton Presidential Center, Public Broadcasting Station WGBH Headquarters, Holland Performing Arts Center, and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Mr. Olcott served as a Commissioner on New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission from 1996 to 2007 and is a member of the Preservation Committee of the Municipal Art Society. Mr. Olcott was the recipient of the American Academy in Rome's Founders Rome Prize Fellowship for 2003 - 2004. He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University, and as part of his professional education, he spent a term studying Urban Design at the Architectural Association in London.

Susan Rodriguez characterizes her designs as the utilization of innovative materials, technologies, and systems to activate powerful form making. She seeks to create an architecture that is fused with its surroundings and is driven by the logic of the program. Underscoring the significance of the environment, her designs are models for the application of sustainable design strategies. Ms. Rodriguez’s current work includes the Frank Sinatra High School for the Arts, Schermerhorn House for Common Ground Community and Actor’s Fund Massachusetts College of Art Center for Design Innovation, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine Arts Center, a new Federal Courthouse in Harrisburg Pennsylvania and the State Supreme Court building in St. George, Staten Island. Her recently completed projects include Mashantucket Pequot Museum, the Lycée Français de New York, Heimbold Visual Arts Center at Sarah Lawrence College, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Academic Building and Library and The New York Botanical Garden Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory.

Ms. Rodriguez serves on the board and executive committees of both the Van Alen Institute and the Architectural League of New York. She is the Gensler Visiting Critic in Architecture at Cornell University for the fall of 2007. Ms. Rodriguez received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University College of Architecture, Art and Planning where she serves as the co-chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council. She received her Masters Degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Todd Schliemann's design work, he states, relies on the conviction that while architecture is a personal interpretive art, it is the architect’s obligation to deliver, through the manifestation of form, space, materials, and technology, an architecture suffused with the broadest meaning of its context. His designs seek to elevate public awareness of architecture’s expressive power, its value as a catalyst for change, as well as a testament and inspiration to the blend of aesthetic, political, and social aspirations and achievements that represent society. Among Mr. Schliemann’s current projects include the Utah Museum of Natural History, Cornell University Computing and Information Sciences Building, Cornell University Weill Medical College Biomedical Research Building, and Standard Hotel New York. His recently completed projects are the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History, Weill Cornell Medical College Weill Greenberg Center, New York Hall of Science, University of Michigan Biomedical Science Research Building, and The Ohio State University Scott Laboratory.

Mr. Schliemann is a member of the Cornell University Architectural Review Committee and The Council of the New York Hall of Science. He is also an ACE: Career Directions for Students in Architecture, Construction and Engineering mentor. Mr. Schliemann received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University in 1979 and studied Urban Design at the Architectural Association in London.