Douglas Palladino, AIA|DC President Emeritus Headshot

School

  • School of Architecture and Planning
  • Douglas Palladino is an architect and educator with diverse experience in practice and education. His approach to architecture embraces the complexity required of the contemporary architectural profession. Responding to the requirements of carbon performance, tectonics, place, aesthetics as well as program.

    “The challenge of our time is to design architecture that looks to the future from the perspective of the present. Our responsibility is greater now than ever. It is not whether to make a building beautiful or a high performing one that positively contributes to the city and environment. The question is how do we do both! By using technology and expertise from a broad range of disciplines, we fulfill our obligation of making the world better one building at a time.”

    His professional work includes a broad range of completed civic, institutional, office, retail, and residential projects in the US and abroad. As a Principal in the Washington DC office of RTKL, he was a lead member of the team to design the LEED Gold FDA Headquarters. From master plan to the completion of a 2.3 million square foot, 135 acre campus near Washington DC. His studio pioneered the use of Revit at RTKL in 2005 leading the way for a firm wide adoption of BIM technology.

    He is a long-time contributor to Catholic University's School of Architecture where he has taught design studios, graduate seminars, tectonics, photography, and served as thesis advisor. Douglas has lectured widely at professional and academic settings. Frequently serving as a visiting critic and has led travel programs to Italy, UK and Mexico.

    Douglas has served as the president of the District of Columbia chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He received his architectural education from Virginia Tech, graduating with honors.