Professor Stephen Lee will begin a phased retirement this fall for the next three years. Upon return from his current sabbatical, he will teach two studios per year focusing on the topics he’s always championed – tectonics, design/build, design for disassembly, high-performance systems integration, and housing.
Steve has had a long-term relationship with Carnegie Mellon. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture (then Department of Architecture) in 1975, and his Master of Architecture degree in Advanced Building Studies from the school in 1977. After working for five years at Urban Design Associates (UDA) in Pittsburgh, Steve co-founded TAI+LEE, Architects PC with his wife, Yoko Tai (A’72), in 1981 and joined the faculty of the School of Architecture as an adjunct professor teaching first-year studio.
In 1986-87, Steve took a sabbatical to research pre-fabricated housing in Japan. Upon his return, he rejoined the School of Architecture teaching Materials & Assembly and the Advanced Construction Studio. He co-founded the Pennsylvania Advanced Technology Housing Consortium and served as the project manager for the construction of CMU’s Intelligent Workplace.
Steve was awarded indefinite tenure and promotion to full professor in 2000 after five years at the rank of Associate Professor. Steve served as the faculty lead for CMU’s Solar Decathlon competition teams in 2002, 2005, and 2007. He went on to serve as Head of the School of Architecture for twelve years. Steve was recognized in DesignIntelligence’s Top 25 Most Admired Educators in Architecture in 2015, 2018, and 2019.
While on sabbatical in 2020-21, he has re-engaged with practice through TAI+LEE, Architects PC working on affordable housing projects in East Liberty, Larimer, and Mt. Lebanon and is looking forward to bringing these updated skills to the studio.