A native of Illinois, Mr. Wanzenberg graduated from the University of California at Berkeley where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture (cum laude) and from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design where he earned a Masters in Architecture.
Following the completion of his education, Mr. Wanzenberg worked at the office of I. M. Pei and Partners in New York for three years as a staff architect. In 1982, he embarked on a new venture, co-founding the firm of Johnson & Wanzenberg with the late acclaimed interior designer Jed Johnson, and then forming Alan Wanzenberg Architect P.C. in 1987. During the fourteen years in which the two collaborated before Mr. Johnson’s tragic passing in 1996, their work became renowned for its distinctive designs in residential architecture and interiors. In 1999, Mr. Wanzenberg established Alan Wanzenberg Design LLC.
An enthusiast of progressive and innovative design education, Mr. Wanzenberg serves on the Board of Governors of Parsons The New School for Design, a renowned leader in design education since its founding in 1896. In that capacity, Mr. Wanzenberg focuses mainly on Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments, a curriculum that coalesces the disciplines of architecture, interior design, lighting design and product design, and which epitomizes his own practice of integrative design.
Mr. Wanzenberg also serves on the Board of Trustees of Skowhegan, an intensive all scholarship summer residency program for emerging visual artists located in Maine. A distinctive aspect of Skowhegan is its campus, a unique grouping of buildings situated on 300 acres of forest, pastures and lakefront. Mr. Wanzenberg has specifically been involved in the preservation of the older historic buildings with the careful integration of new buildings.
A champion of contemporary craft, Mr. Wanzenberg co-curates along with The Noguchi Museum, R 20th Century Design, and the Socrates Sculpture Park (a built green environment with a working studio and exhibition space for contemporary sculpture), the annual New York based Makers Market, an acclaimed showing of skillfully crafted one-of-a kind contemporary products. As a way to further support contemporary craft of note, Mr. Wanzenberg mentors a number of the young designers involved with Makers Market.
Mr. Wanzenberg, a member of the American Institute of Architects, is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He currently holds licenses of practice in Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.