Ana Rolim
Assistant Professor, School of Art and Design
- ana.rolim@njit.edu
- 973-642-4355
- 571 Weston Hall (WEST)
About Me
Ana Luisa Rolim, Ph.D., is an architect, interior designer, researcher, and educator whose work bridges design practice, critical theory, and neuroscience. She is Assistant Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Hillier College of Architecture and Design. She holds a Ph.D., M.Arch., and B.Arch. from the Federal University of Pernambuco, where her doctoral thesis received distinction and was recommended for publication.
Rolim’s academic career spans Brazil and the United States. She previously taught at the Catholic University of Pernambuco for over a decade, and has served as faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design, Kean University, and other institutions. Her teaching integrates design studios, history and theory, parametric and biomimetic design, and thesis advisory, with a strong emphasis on experiential learning and research-based practice.
As Principal of Coletivo-RT Architecture Studio (Brazil/U.S.) and through roles at firms in New York and Berlin, Rolim has combined professional practice with academic inquiry. Her work has received numerous national and international awards, including first prizes from the Brazilian Institute of Architects and the Berlin MOKIB competition.
Her research explores spatial morphology, adaptive reuse, and the interface between architecture and neuroscience. A member of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture and the Society of Architectural Historians, she has published and presented widely in international conferences and edited volumes, advancing interdisciplinary approaches to the built environment.
Rolim’s academic career spans Brazil and the United States. She previously taught at the Catholic University of Pernambuco for over a decade, and has served as faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design, Kean University, and other institutions. Her teaching integrates design studios, history and theory, parametric and biomimetic design, and thesis advisory, with a strong emphasis on experiential learning and research-based practice.
As Principal of Coletivo-RT Architecture Studio (Brazil/U.S.) and through roles at firms in New York and Berlin, Rolim has combined professional practice with academic inquiry. Her work has received numerous national and international awards, including first prizes from the Brazilian Institute of Architects and the Berlin MOKIB competition.
Her research explores spatial morphology, adaptive reuse, and the interface between architecture and neuroscience. A member of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture and the Society of Architectural Historians, she has published and presented widely in international conferences and edited volumes, advancing interdisciplinary approaches to the built environment.
Education
Ph.D.; Federal University of Pernambuco; Architecture ; 2020
M.Arch.; Federal University of Pernambuco; Architecture ; 1999
B.Arch.; Federal University of Pernambuco; Architecture ; 1994
Office Hours
Mon and Thu, 11:00-12:30pm
Website
2026 Fall Courses
AD 493 - INDEPENDENT STUDY
INT 363 - INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO III
Teaching Interests
Teaching means preparing students with the skills, confidence, and curiosity to build meaningful professional lives. At a polytechnic institution like New Jersey Institute of Technology, I foster an inclusive, hands-on environment where students connect theory to real-world design challenges. My pedagogy integrates global perspectives, rigorous critical inquiry, and applied, industry-relevant work so that students develop both intellectual depth and technological fluency.
I broaden students’ cultural frameworks while grounding their work in strong theoretical foundations. In my studios, theory is activated through case studies, prototyping, material experimentation, and collaborative problem-solving that reflect professional practice. Whether developing collective housing proposals, constructing spatial maquettes, or producing authorial publications, students learn to synthesize research, concept, and technical execution. Critiques function as constructive dialogues that strengthen analytical thinking, communication skills, and design precision.
My classrooms prioritize inclusivity and engagement. I adapt instruction to varied skill levels, integrate digital platforms and multimedia resources, and create opportunities for exhibitions, competitions, and practitioner collaboration. In this way, students experience design as both intellectual inquiry and public contribution- advancing innovation and leadership.
I am prepared to teach Interior Design Studios, seminars on contemporary architecture and interior design, cognitive-based spatial analysis, architecture and neuroscience, creative graphic representation, and thesis preparation and advisory.
I broaden students’ cultural frameworks while grounding their work in strong theoretical foundations. In my studios, theory is activated through case studies, prototyping, material experimentation, and collaborative problem-solving that reflect professional practice. Whether developing collective housing proposals, constructing spatial maquettes, or producing authorial publications, students learn to synthesize research, concept, and technical execution. Critiques function as constructive dialogues that strengthen analytical thinking, communication skills, and design precision.
My classrooms prioritize inclusivity and engagement. I adapt instruction to varied skill levels, integrate digital platforms and multimedia resources, and create opportunities for exhibitions, competitions, and practitioner collaboration. In this way, students experience design as both intellectual inquiry and public contribution- advancing innovation and leadership.
I am prepared to teach Interior Design Studios, seminars on contemporary architecture and interior design, cognitive-based spatial analysis, architecture and neuroscience, creative graphic representation, and thesis preparation and advisory.
Past Courses
Research Interests
Ana Rolim’s research examines how spatial configuration shapes human experience by focusing on how the arrangement of spaces influences movement, perception, and social interaction. As a Ph.D. student at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) in Brazil, she studied human interaction in art exhibition spaces, investigating how sequential gallery layouts affect visitors’ attention and behavior. The study combined Space Syntax, a framework developed at UCL in the 1970s that analyzes how spatial layouts influence movement and interaction, with neuroscience tools to measure focus during virtual navigation via a Brain-Computer Interface.
At NJIT, Rolim extends this inquiry to domestic spaces designed and inhabited by women architects and designers, offering a counter-narrative to architecture’s male-dominated history. Using Space Syntax theory, it analyzes how spatial thresholds and configurations shape social relations and everyday life. The project bridges architectural history, spatial theory, and gender studies to offer new perspectives on domesticity and design knowledge.
By combining spatial analysis with neurophysiological data, Rolim aims to develop a framework linking spatial configuration, embodied experience, and social meaning to inform both architectural history and design practice. Her interdisciplinary work has been presented at major forums, including the Space Syntax Symposia, the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, and the Society of Architectural Historians.
At NJIT, Rolim extends this inquiry to domestic spaces designed and inhabited by women architects and designers, offering a counter-narrative to architecture’s male-dominated history. Using Space Syntax theory, it analyzes how spatial thresholds and configurations shape social relations and everyday life. The project bridges architectural history, spatial theory, and gender studies to offer new perspectives on domesticity and design knowledge.
By combining spatial analysis with neurophysiological data, Rolim aims to develop a framework linking spatial configuration, embodied experience, and social meaning to inform both architectural history and design practice. Her interdisciplinary work has been presented at major forums, including the Space Syntax Symposia, the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, and the Society of Architectural Historians.
In Progress
Dwelling in their Design: Homes Shaped and Shared by Women Architects and Designers
<b>1. Project Summary/Narrative</b><br>This research explores how domestic spaces, designed by women architects and designers for their own habitation, reflect and shape social logic and spatial understanding. Focusing on a timeline from early 20th-century seminal works through modernist, postmodern, and contemporary examples, the study uses the Space Syntax theory (Hillier and Hanson, 1984; Hillier, 1996) as its core analytical framework. The main goal is to analyze the relationship between spatial configuration and social function by focusing on the role and form of spatial thresholds between rooms. By studying these dwellings, the project aims to uncover unique perspectives on domesticity, gender, and the production of architectural knowledge, providing a critical interface between architectural history, spatial theory, and social studies.<br><br><b>2. Project Description/Plan</b><br><br><b>2.1 Introduction and Background</b><br>The history of architecture, particularly the evolution of domestic space, is often chronicled through the lens of dominant (male) figures and conventional family structures. This project asserts that homes designed by women architects and designers for their personal or shared habitation offer a crucial, under-explored counter-narrative. These self-designed dwellings represent direct, non-commercial experiments in living, domesticity, and social organization, often challenging established norms regarding privacy, domestic labor, and gender roles.<br><br>The project is structured around an evolution of design approaches:<br><br>Phase I: Seminal Projects (Early 20th Century): Focusing on pioneers whose work laid the groundwork for modern domesticity, often incorporating elements of interior design and social reform (e.g., Eileen Gray, Verna Cook Salomonsky).<br><br>Phase II: Modernist-Influenced Examples (Mid-20th Century): Examining the translation and adaptation of modernist principles to personal living, highlighting individual expressions within a global movement (e.g., Lina Bo Bardi, Amaza Lee Meredith).<br><br>Phase III: Post-Modern/Contemporary Initiatives (Past 30 Years): Exploring diverse, often politically or socially charged projects, including those from land communities or the work of LGBTQ+ designers, reflecting complex contemporary identities (e.g., North Forty Womens’ land community cases, Canela Grandi).<br><br>The research is grounded in the observation that the physical organization of space is intrinsically linked to its social functions. The analysis will integrate specific domestic case studies with the rigorous framework of spatial theory.<br><br><b>2.2 Specific Objectives</b><br>The project aims to achieve the following specific objectives:<br>Map the Spatial Evolution: Systematically trace the evolution of domestic spaces by women architects and designers who inhabited them, from the early 20th century to the present, categorizing them by architectural aesthetics and social intent.<br>Apply Space Syntax Analysis: Apply the core metrics of Space Syntax (e.g., integration, connectivity, intelligibility) to the floor plans of the selected case studies to objectively quantify their spatial configuration.<br>Analyze Social Logic: Explore the interface between the quantitative spatial data and the qualitative, lived experience of the inhabitants through speculative automata agents simulation, particularly concerning:<br>Visitor Exploration: How spatial arrangement influences the permeability and accessibility of rooms<br>Social Functioning: Examining how the layout facilitated or constrained social interactions, domestic work, and the public/private dichotomy.<br>Develop a Thematic Model: Construct a theoretical model that connects specific spatial configurations (as defined by Space Syntax) with social and gendered intentions expressed in the design.
<b>1. Project Summary/Narrative</b><br>This research explores how domestic spaces, designed by women architects and designers for their own habitation, reflect and shape social logic and spatial understanding. Focusing on a timeline from early 20th-century seminal works through modernist, postmodern, and contemporary examples, the study uses the Space Syntax theory (Hillier and Hanson, 1984; Hillier, 1996) as its core analytical framework. The main goal is to analyze the relationship between spatial configuration and social function by focusing on the role and form of spatial thresholds between rooms. By studying these dwellings, the project aims to uncover unique perspectives on domesticity, gender, and the production of architectural knowledge, providing a critical interface between architectural history, spatial theory, and social studies.<br><br><b>2. Project Description/Plan</b><br><br><b>2.1 Introduction and Background</b><br>The history of architecture, particularly the evolution of domestic space, is often chronicled through the lens of dominant (male) figures and conventional family structures. This project asserts that homes designed by women architects and designers for their personal or shared habitation offer a crucial, under-explored counter-narrative. These self-designed dwellings represent direct, non-commercial experiments in living, domesticity, and social organization, often challenging established norms regarding privacy, domestic labor, and gender roles.<br><br>The project is structured around an evolution of design approaches:<br><br>Phase I: Seminal Projects (Early 20th Century): Focusing on pioneers whose work laid the groundwork for modern domesticity, often incorporating elements of interior design and social reform (e.g., Eileen Gray, Verna Cook Salomonsky).<br><br>Phase II: Modernist-Influenced Examples (Mid-20th Century): Examining the translation and adaptation of modernist principles to personal living, highlighting individual expressions within a global movement (e.g., Lina Bo Bardi, Amaza Lee Meredith).<br><br>Phase III: Post-Modern/Contemporary Initiatives (Past 30 Years): Exploring diverse, often politically or socially charged projects, including those from land communities or the work of LGBTQ+ designers, reflecting complex contemporary identities (e.g., North Forty Womens’ land community cases, Canela Grandi).<br><br>The research is grounded in the observation that the physical organization of space is intrinsically linked to its social functions. The analysis will integrate specific domestic case studies with the rigorous framework of spatial theory.<br><br><b>2.2 Specific Objectives</b><br>The project aims to achieve the following specific objectives:<br>Map the Spatial Evolution: Systematically trace the evolution of domestic spaces by women architects and designers who inhabited them, from the early 20th century to the present, categorizing them by architectural aesthetics and social intent.<br>Apply Space Syntax Analysis: Apply the core metrics of Space Syntax (e.g., integration, connectivity, intelligibility) to the floor plans of the selected case studies to objectively quantify their spatial configuration.<br>Analyze Social Logic: Explore the interface between the quantitative spatial data and the qualitative, lived experience of the inhabitants through speculative automata agents simulation, particularly concerning:<br>Visitor Exploration: How spatial arrangement influences the permeability and accessibility of rooms<br>Social Functioning: Examining how the layout facilitated or constrained social interactions, domestic work, and the public/private dichotomy.<br>Develop a Thematic Model: Construct a theoretical model that connects specific spatial configurations (as defined by Space Syntax) with social and gendered intentions expressed in the design.
Chapter
Conference Proceeding
Journal Article
Conference Paper
Book