Hannah Berkin-Harper
Hannah Berkin-Harper
Associate Professor, Hillier College of Arch & Design
522 Weston Hall (WEST)
About Me
Hannah Berkin-Harper comes to NJIT from Street Lab, a non-profit that creates pop-up programming and placemaking in New York City, where she is the design lead. Her research interests include design for public spaces, community-centered design, participatory design methodologies, active design and environmental sustainability. She creates new designs for open streets and public spaces. She is currently working on OASIS, an outdoor cooling installation that includes misting, plants, and shade for Open Streets She is also an Urban Design Forum Rewire fellow, developing new ideas to increase biodiversity in the urban environment. Prior to her current position, she was a senior designer at Karim Rashid’s studio for nearly a decade, working on furniture, tableware, consumer products and interiors for clients all over the world. She founded HBH Design, a consultancy focusing on projects involving environmental sustainability and public space, working with both private clients and non-profits. She has taught at Montclair State University, NYU Tandon School of Engineering and, most recently, at Pratt Institute where she taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in the Industrial and Interior Design departments. Her designs have been published in the New York Times, Next City, Streetscapes for Wellness, a publication of the NYC Public Design Commission. She has been honored twice by Interior Design Magazine’s NYCxDesign Awards.
Education
Master of Industrial Design ; Pratt Institute-Main; ; 2007
B.A.; Vassar College; Studio Art; 2001
B.A.; Vassar College; Studio Art; 2001
Website
Research Interests
Design for public space, participatory practices, youth-led co-design, environmental sustainability, climate resilience, digital fabrication, prototyping processes.