Charles Renfro is a partner at Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), an interdisciplinary design studio based in New York, responsible for some of the city’s most significant urban planning initiatives including the High Line and Lincoln Center. He led the design and construction of the studio’s first concert hall outside of the US – The Tianjin Juilliard School in China – as well as the studio’s first public park outside of the US – Zaryadye Park in Moscow. Charles has also led the design of much of DS+R’s academic portfolio, with projects completed at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Brown University, the University of Chicago, and the recently completed Columbia Business School. Charles is also leading the design of two projects in his native Texas: the renovation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kalita Humphreys Theater in Dallas, and Sarofim Hall, a new home for Rice University’s Visual Arts department in Houston. Charles is a board member of BOFFO, a nonprofit organization that supports the work of queer LGBTQ+ BIPOC artists and designers, and has twice been recognized with the Out100 list. He is a faculty member of the School of Visual Arts.
Photo: Geordie Wood