Louise Harpman is the founder and principal of Louise Harpman__PROJECTS. She is the director of the zeroMicro™ applied research consortium, focusing on net zero energy buildings and micro-dwellings.
Before founding PROJECTS, Louise Harpman was a principal for 20 years in the architecture and design firm Specht Harpman. Specht Harpman was recognized in Wallpaper* magazine’s Architects’ Directory as one of the “top 50 up and coming architectural practices from around the world.” The firm received multiple Honor Awards from the American Institute of Architects and was named “Emerging Voices” by the Architectural League of New York. The firm's designs were featured at the Museum of Modern Art, the Municipal Art Society, the Van Alen Institute, and in gallery shows in the US and UK. Specht Harpman was named “Tastemakers” by House and Garden magazine and was frequently listed as one of New York City’s “Top 100” architects by New York magazine.
Specht Harpman designed and developed the zeroHouse™, a high-performance, off-the-grid micro dwelling, as well as the Manhattan Micro Loft. Both projects established Specht Harpman as international design leaders in the micro dwelling movement. The zeroHouse™ and Manhattan Micro Loft were published in over 50 international books and magazines, including the cover of The New York Times, in Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, and on Bloomberg News television. Their work was featured in many leading professional and popular journals, including The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, New York, Architectural Record, Architecture, AD, Architectural Digest, Praxis, Interior Design, Residential Architect, Metropolis, Domus, Texas Architect, and W Magazine, as well as on HGTV. Over two decades Specht Harpman gained significant international recognition and their work was published on every continent except Antarctica.
Louise is a Professor of Architecture, Urban Design, and Sustainability at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study and also teaches at the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She is a member of the faculty advisory board of the Marron Institute for Urban Management. She is a co-author of Coffee Lids https://papress.com/products/coffee-lids-peel-pinch-pucker-puncture (Princeton Architectural Press, 2018) and Global Design (Prestel, 2014).
She taught previously at the Yale School of Architecture, the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Architecture and Planning, and the University of Texas at Austin, where she was Associate Dean. During her career, Louise has led teams in design, programming, and master planning for public, institutional, and private residential clients. She also worked as a project manager for the City of New York in its Department of Housing, Preservation, and Development. Louise has led many community-based public design projects, including work with the the Alley Flat Initiative, the Blanco Library, the Austin Children's Museum, the Downtown Austin Alliance, and the Austin Fire Department.
Louise received her A.B degree from Harvard University in East Asian Studies. She holds an M. Phil. in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge. She received her Master of Architecture degree from Yale University, where she was awarded the AIA Henry Adams Certificate and the Janet Cain Sielaff Prize.