Quilian Riano
(Born: Bogotá, Colombia, Grew up: Miami, FL)
DSGN AGNC Founder and Principal
Masters of Architecture – Harvard University | Graduate School of Design
Bachelors of Design (Summa Cum Laude) – University of Florida | School of Architecture

Quilian [pronounced killian] is a designer, researcher, writer, and educator working out of Brooklyn, New York. Quilian founded DSGN AGNC and is its principal. DSGN AGNC (Design Agency) is a collaborative design/research studio exploring political engagement through architecture, urbanism, art & activism. DSGN AGNC arises, in part, from a concern about the types of questions that are asked by critical architectural practices. Or, rather, a concern about the questions not being asked. Who are the powerful entities hiring architects and what are their agendas? Who are the people that actually build architecture and what is their condition? Can architecture and design help society move towards a more equitable model of power distribution? What ties all these questions are the hidden conflicts (power dynamics) that characterize current political economies.

Quilian is committed to design education, currently teaching theory-based Design and Urban Ecologies studios at Parsons, The Newschool for Design in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the School of Design Strategies and Pratt Institute’s Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development. Quilian has also taught architectural and urban design studios at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and the City College of New York. Quilian attended University of Florida for a Bachelors of Design in Architecture and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design for a Masters of Architecture. TEACHING CV.

Quilian has won awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, Harvard University, The Boston Society of Architects and his work has been featured at the Venice Biennale, Queens Museum of Art, Harvard University, Parsons The Neschool of Design, among others. Quilian also collaborates on a variety of architectural, urban, design and research projects with other groups, including Estudio Teddy Cruz, Archinect, Places Journal, #lgnlgn, Harvard University, Parsons The New School for Design, and the Queens Museum of Art. These projects often cross disciplinary boundaries and are located in Africa, Europe and North, Central and South America.