Etien Santiago
Assistant Professor, NJ School of Architecture
- etien.santiago@njit.edu
- 533 Weston Hall (WEST)
About Me
Etien Santiago is a historian of modern architecture and construction.
He researches the social and political implications of twentieth-century architects’ attempts to use advanced building materials and technologies, with a focus on concrete and mass-produced housing.
His first book, A Barrage of Houses: World War I and Mass-Produced Housing for France, was published in 2026 by Yale University Press. It retraces how World War I ignited and shaped modern architects’ search for mass-produced housing based on innovative construction techniques. This research has been supported by grants from the Canadian Centre for Architecture, the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard.
Etien previously worked at several architecture firms including the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa, Italy. He is a licensed architect in New York.
He researches the social and political implications of twentieth-century architects’ attempts to use advanced building materials and technologies, with a focus on concrete and mass-produced housing.
His first book, A Barrage of Houses: World War I and Mass-Produced Housing for France, was published in 2026 by Yale University Press. It retraces how World War I ignited and shaped modern architects’ search for mass-produced housing based on innovative construction techniques. This research has been supported by grants from the Canadian Centre for Architecture, the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard.
Etien previously worked at several architecture firms including the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa, Italy. He is a licensed architect in New York.
Education
Ph.D.; Harvard University; Architecture; 2021
M.Arch.; Harvard University; 2011
B.Arch.; Rice University; 2008
B.A.; Rice University; Architecture; 2006
Awards & Honors
Website
2026 Fall Courses
ARCH 493 - INDEPENDENT STUDY
ARCH 210 - HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
ARCH 210 - HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I - HONORS
ARCH 583 - ST: ARCHITECTURES IMPACT ON NEW TECHNOLOGY
Past Courses
Research Interests
History of modern architecture and construction, from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth century
History of mass-produced housing
History of concrete architecture
History of World War I
History of mass-produced housing
History of concrete architecture
History of World War I
Book
Journal Article
Conference Paper
Book Review
Chapter