Member Spotlight: Nina Cooke John, AIA, Principal of Studio Cooke John Architecture + Design!
Please meet your AIA Newark and Suburban Architects colleague Nina Cooke John, AIA, Principal of Studio Cooke John Architecture + Design!
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Nina is the founding principal of Studio Cooke John Architecture and Design, a multidisciplinary design studio that values placemaking as a way to transform relationships between people and the built environment. Nina’s work explores the continuum between art and architecture. Working at the scale of the human body; individually or collectively, in the home or on the street, responding to how we use space in our everyday lives.
Studio Cooke John’s Shadow of A Face, the new Harriet Tubman Monument in Newark, NJ was unveiled in March 2023. The studio was awarded a 2021 AIA Merit Award for the public art installation, Point of Action, commissioned for the Flatiron public plazas in 2020 and currently on view at the Wassaic Project. Nina was named a 2022 United States Artists Fellow. Her work has also been featured in Architectural Record, The New York Times, Hyperallergic, Dwell, NBC’s Open House, and PBS NewsHour Weekend among other publications and news outlets.
Nina began her professional career working on the designs of cultural institutions with Voorsanger and Associates and Polshek Partnership (now Ennead) before moving on to retail design, corporate offices, custom residential construction and, most recently, public art. She is licensed to practice architecture in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
For business inquiries please visit Studio Cooke John's website: https://www.cookejohn.com/
Give Studio Cooke John a call: 917-524-8136
Email Studio Cooke John: [email protected]
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What was your favorite recent project?
The Harriet Tubman monument in Newark is my favorite recent project. The scope, in terms of impact, is bigger than any other project that we have done up until that one. The work between the client stakeholders, our office and the fabricators was such an innovative and inspiring collaboration. This was more than just an architectural undertaking. It was a social, cultural and historical project. Friends and family send me photos of their visits showing people interacting with the space and it brings me so much joy to see it ‘in the wild’.
How long did it take before you felt comfortable in your role as an architect?
It took about 20 years. Over the course of those years I have worked on cultural institutions, residences, been a teacher of architecture, a mentor and a parent. All of those roles have contributed to my role as an architect. I realize, and am totally comfortable with my role as an architect being that I lead the creative endeavor of building private and public spaces that are socially impactful and built with the highest level of craftsmanship.
What would be your dream job or a project you'd like to work on?
I’d love to work on a museum or a performing arts center. I’ve worked on projects like that while I was at Polshek Partnership many years ago, but I’d love to work on one of those projects now, in my current practice, with the knowledge that I have today.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
I love working in my garden. It is by no means a showpiece, however, the focus and tactility of digging in dirt with my hands is very soothing.
What are 3 facts about you that make you unique?
I have a brother who is also an architect.
I had 2 of my 3 children at home - on purpose.
I shared a stage with Queen Latifah.
Who or what are your inspirations for architecture?
This is a really difficult question for me to respond to. I’m inspired by so many things. Much of my inspiration comes from people in their everyday lives - how they create space and community. There are also many architects who are doing very different things in public art, cultural spaces, material exploration like mass timber and digital imaging - all make me swoon.
What’s exciting about what you are doing now in the office?
We are working on a collection of new retail spaces in Newark. It is a space that is designed to promote both an interactive retail experience, as well as, promote pop-up cultural activities in the central court. We’re excited about envisioning a space that hasn’t existed like this before in Newark.
What advice would you give to recent graduates entering the professional world?
Learn the craft of building. To bring your creative visions to life, you need to have a strong base in understanding how materials are put together to engage those who will inhabit them.
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Nina's Projects:
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