Alex Webb Named Inaugural Director of Predock Center for Design and Research
April 5, 2024
The University of New Mexico School of Architecture + Planning (SA+P) is pleased to announce Alex Webb as the inaugural director of the Predock Center for Design and Research. Beginning this spring, Webb will be leading collaborative visioning sessions with SA+P faculty to develop the mission and direction of the center and its programming.
“We are thrilled to have Alex help us steward this important gift from world-renowned architect Antoine Predock, especially at this timely juncture. Webb is perfectly poised for this with his background in architectural practice and his design-oriented doctoral research,” stated SA+P Dean Robert Alexander González.
Currently under renovation, the Predock Center for Design and Research will house studios dedicated to supporting faculty and student research in the design fields taught within the school: architecture, landscape architecture, and community and regional planning. It will host graduate-level classes as well as house two long-standing SA+P institutes, the Design Planning Assistance Center (DPAC) and the Resource Center for Raza Planning (RCRP).
“To me, the most exciting aspect of leading the Predock Center will be the opportunity to collect and communicate the exciting design research happening at the School of Architecture + Planning and within Albuquerque to the local, national, and international design community,” said Webb. “The fact that the center is grounded within Antoine’s work creates a unique space to build upon his legacy and continue his incredible fire for architecture.”
An Associate Professor in SA+P focused on emergent technology, Webb holds both an architectural license and a Ph.D. in Digital Design Theory from the European Graduate School, uniquely positioning him to investigate the relationship between theory and practice and lead innovative research programming at the Predock Center. Webb holds a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture, a Bachelor of Arts from Colorado College, and has also studied architecture and design at the Berlage Institute and Columbia University. He has collaborated with and worked for firms such as Marmol + Radziner, Patterns, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Xefirotarch, Jones Partners Architects, and Gensler.
The Predock Center’s location at 300 12th St. NW will allow researchers and students working there to engage with the community and built environment of Albuquerque from a new vantage point, acting as a downtown outpost for the school. Once the home and office of internationally acclaimed architect and UNM alum Antoine Predock, the building was donated to the University in 2017 along with his archives.
While not originally from New Mexico, Predock was a long-time resident whose deep connection to the state and its natural forces can be seen throughout his architectural works, including SA+P's own George Pearl Hall. The center’s focus on innovative design research will ensure that his spirit of inventiveness and curiosity is carried on by SA+P students and researchers for years to come.
