William E. Massie is currently the Architect-in-Residence/Head of Architecture Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI, and a Tenured Professor of Architecture at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. His work utilizes computer applications and digital information as a way of redefining "formal architectural construct" — a synthesis of ideas linked to construction in conjunction with the development of a theoretical position, all in support of an attempt to redefine architectural practice and making.
Massie's research in computer applications in architectural construction has been recognized by Architecture Magazine in back-to-back Research Awards — "Augmented Reality in Architectural Construction" in association with Tony Webster, Steve Feiner, and Ted Kreuger, and "Virtual Model to Actual Construct." Massie has also received Progressive Architecture awards from Architecture Magazine for the design of the "Big Belt House" located in the foothills of the Big Belt Mountains in Montana and for the design of "A House for a Photographer."
Massie received a Bachelor of Fine Art in Architectural Studies from Parsons School of Design, New York, NY, and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture. Upon graduation he worked for Robertson + McAnulty Architects and James Stewart Polshek and Partners. In 1993, he started his own company while simultaneously accepting a teaching position in the Graduate School of Architecture at Columbia University where he was appointed as the Coordinator for Building Technologies Research. He also has taught at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, and Parsons School of Design in New York City, and has participated as a visiting critic at many institutions nationally including, Harvard, Yale, California Polytechnic Institute, and Lawrence Technological University.
Massie was selected as the winner of the Museum of Modern Art's Young Architects Program Competition for his project "Playa Urbana/Urban Beach," which was installed in the courtyard of the P.S.1 Museum located in Long Island City, NY. His work has been exhibited at Parsons School of Design, MoMA/Qns and the Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai, China. A scaled model of the "Big Belt House" was acquired by The Museum of Modern Art as part of its permanent collection.
