Sasson Rafailov

Education

Cornell University, Bachelor of Architecture
Harvard University, Master in Design Studies
University of Virginia, PhD in the Constructed Environment (ABD)

Biography

Sasson Rafailov is a theorist and designer whose scholarly work contributes to ongoing debates in new materialist philosophy, craft theory, and philosophy of education. His teaching spans the breadth of course offerings at the School of Architecture, including foundational courses in design for both undergraduate and graduate students, thesis studios for the Master of Architecture group, and lectures on modern and contemporary theory across a variety of degree programs.

Through his research and service, Sasson aims to orient schools of architecture and design around the United States towards innovative educational models which encourage students to leverage their relationships with the natural world to overcome challenges unique to our discipline in the 21st century. His PhD dissertation proposes a new approach to craft in these educational contexts, bridging concepts from environmental and technological philosophy to redefine the term as a mode of consciousness, or being, instead of a particular set of skills or material processes. He attempts to elicit this type of awareness in his students through novel, place-based design exercises, as well as through experimental approaches to perennial features of architectural education, like juried design reviews and peer-to-peer collaboration. Sasson's innovative pedagogical approach has been recognized by the University with honors including the Class of 1985 Fellowship for Creative Teaching and the School of Architecture's New Faculty Teaching Award for the 2024-2025 academic year. He also pursues "craft consciousness" in his own design work, which explores human-material relationships in sculpture, tool-making, and furniture. 

Sasson graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University in 2018, where he pursued research in architectural pedagogy through several independent studies and a capstone thesis project. Upon graduation, he was offered a faculty position at the University at Buffalo's School of Architecture and Planning, where he taught foundational design studios and a course in modern theory from 2018-2019. He subsequently enrolled in Harvard University’s Master in Design Studies program, where he was a Dean's Merit Scholar until his graduation in 2021. Sasson has presented his research in a variety of international venues, including conferences hosted by the Society of Architectural Historians and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, as well as in exhibitions of his craft work in the United States, Germany, and Switzerland. He has also contributed to contemporary research in design through his appointments to the selection committees of institutions like the Design Akademie Saaleck, where he was also a fellow in 2020, and the University of Virginia's Michael Owen Jones lecture series in 2023-2024.