Clarissa Mendez
Principal Lecturer of Architecture
Contact
School of Architecture
Office: Lee 3-117
Email: cmendez@clemson.edu
Education
M.Arch., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Courses
ARCH 2520/21, ARCH 3500/11, ARCH 4010, ARCH 8090/4990
Research Interests
Inclusive and Equitable Architecture
After completing her M. Arch degree at Virginia Tech, she worked in award-winning architecture offices. First, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with David-Fuster Arquitectos, and later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Kling-Lindquist Architects and at GBQC Architects. In these offices and independently she participated in numerous national and international architectural competitions and received prizes. Before Clemson, she taught at the Izmir Institute of Technology and at the Izmir University of Economics in Turkey. Her experiences in various locations let her focus on different ideas of observations about the environment. Specifically, she questions the notion of site from a critical perspective, considering that architecture is not isolated from surroundings. As an instructor she coordinates the portfolio design course, and has taught all levels of undergraduate studios. She has also developed elective courses and independent studies for both Clemson's Creative Inquiry and Departmental Honors addressing inclusive architecture practices. Her work with the Design Justice course was featured in "Good Design" in the 2023 Summer edition of Clemson World.
Awards
Frank A. Burtner Award, 2021
