Curtis Worth Fentress, FAIA, RIBA

Curtis Worth Fentress founded Fentress Architects in 1980; after graduating with honors from North Carolina State University College of Design and working with the New York firms of I.M. Pei and Partners and Kohn Pedersen Fox. Together with his partners, he has grown Fentress Architects to five global studios that employ over 150 talented design professionals.

Curtis’ personal portfolio of global, award-winning projects spans four decades and includes nearly every major market sector. He is well regarded by his peers and clients for being a highly adept, hybrid architect.  He is capable of developing iconic design within the cost and schedule confines most often associated with high-profile, public architecture.

Curtis, and his work with Fentress Architects, are the subject of eight monographs.  Likewise, he has been featured in over a dozen exhibitions at institutions including the Cooper Hewitt Museum, Venice Biennale and National Building Museum.

In 2011, he launched Fentress Global Challenge. This annual student design competition represents an extraordinary exploration into the future of architecture. In doing so, it has helped advance the pursuit of innovative design.  It has also bolstered the careers of numerous young and aspiring architects.

Curtis is also an ardent believer in the design competition process, which he thinks of as being essentially democratic. Since winning his first in 1986, he has lead teams to win over 30 additional national and international design competitions.