Listening to the Past with Peter D. Cook, FAIA

Happy New Year and welcome to the final episode of season four (4)! We’re wrapping up the season with a conversation featuring the incredible Peter D. Cook, FAIA, NOMA. In this episode, we talk about his remarkable lineage, his role in shaping DC’s architectural landscape, and his work at The Contemplative Site at Monticello. We also discuss the importance of community engagement, the challenges architecture students face, and his contributions to DC’s public spaces, including libraries. It’s the perfect close to a long season.

Peter D. Cook, FAIA, NOMA is a Design Principal and Vice President with HGA, a position he has held since joining the firm in 2017. A graduate of Harvard College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, he is a nationally recognized architect based in Washington DC with a portfolio of award-winning art, community and educational projects demonstrating versatility with a variety of sites, typologies and scales. Common among them is his approach that values the establishment of a strong, personal connection with client and stakeholders, the result of deep listening and empathy.

A direct descendant of Julian F. Abele (1881-1950), one of the nation’s most celebrated and accomplished African-American architects, Peter served as one of the three lead design collaborators for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Peter was appointed in 2021 by President Joseph Biden to serve as a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and was elevated in 2022 as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He has also served for over 20 years as a Peer for the U.S. General Services Administration Design Excellence program. Peter continues to be engaged with many community-based institutions including serving on the Board of Directors at the Washington Architectural Foundation, the Board of Trustees at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, and as a past Vice President of the National Organization of Minority Architects.