Gernot Riether Elected Inaugural Chair of Architecture at NJIT's Hillier College

Effective July 1, 2025 for a three-year term, Gernot Riether became the first elected chair of NJIT’s School of Architecture, bringing with him a visionary approach rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration, technological innovation and public engagement.

After the inaugural departmental elections for this role in the School of Architecture, and elected by a supermajority of the faculty, Gernot Riether has been named chair of the School of Architecture at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. A respected educator, researcher and practitioner, Riether brings over two decades of academic experience and more than ten years in architectural practice, positioning him well to lead the school into its next chapter.

“Riether has the experience and the support to be an extremely effective leader of the New Jersey School of Architecture, and his appointment as chair after HCAD’s first ever departmental elections, is a milestone in our history,” said Gabrielle Esperdy, dean of the Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD).

Riether holds a Dipl.-Ing. degree in architecture from the University of Innsbruck in Austria and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in New York. His professional career spans both Europe and the United States, where he worked with leading engineering and architectural firms before entering academia.

Riether joined NJIT in 2016 and served as director of the School of Architecture for five years. Since 2021, he has coordinated NJIT's New Jersey School of Architecture graduate architecture and urban design programs helping to shape an integrated, forward-looking curriculum that bridges design, technology, and community impact. Riether also serves on the Board of Directors of the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization, a nonprofit affiliated with the United Nations in New York and UN-Habitat, advancing global dialogue on sustainable urban development.

His research focuses on the intersection of public space, digital technologies and building construction. He has authored more than 40 scholarly articles, papers and book chapters. His latest book, "Urban Machines: Public Space in a Digital Culture," co-authored with Marcella Del Signore, explores how emerging technologies are transforming urban life and public space.

Riether understands NJIT’s School of Architecture to be a civic stakeholder that actively engages in solving the most urgent challenges of our time.

“The most important thing is to find out what people need, bring people together, and connect that with the access to cutting-edge technology we have at NJIT,” he says. “This creates opportunities for experiential learning, real-world research, and meaningful public engagement. It strengthens NJIT’s connection to Newark, the region, and the global community.”

This ethos is evident in his wide-ranging portfolio of applied research and design projects. His Game On initiative, funded by North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, is designed to activate public spaces across the state of New Jersey during the 2026 FIFA World Cup — allowing municipalities without stadiums to benefit from the global spotlight. In the Wachau valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Austria, Riether and his colleague Andrzej Zarzycki develop Public Spaces for Krems that link the town’s residents with the Kunstmeile Krems, a network of museums and art institutions.

In the JCTC Tower project in Jersey City, Riether envisions a new hybrid building typology that merges affordable housing with a cultural center as a new model for equitable urban development. Together with his colleague Mohamed Mahgoub, he also conducts industry-sponsored research funded by the Precast Concrete Institute and the National Precast Concrete Association, exploring cost-effective applications of precast concrete for affordable housing.

Riether’s design-build studios have received national and international recognition. His projects include NJIT’s 2018 entry to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, for which he led students in designing and constructing a solar-powered home in Dezhou, China. Other acclaimed works include the Underwood Pavilion in Indiana, the AIA Pavilion in New Orleans, and the Urban Blanket in Midtown Atlanta — experimental public space installations that have been widely published and featured at venues such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

As he assumes this new role, Riether brings a deep commitment to fostering inclusive, adaptive and resilient urban futures. “Let’s find ways to use resources more efficiently to build cities of the highest quality - together,” he states. His appointment signals a renewed focus on collaboration, impact-driven design and global engagement at NJIT’s School of Architecture.

The appointment is a three-year term and faculty elected Mathew Schwartz as chair of the School of Art + Design.

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