Email: plataa@philau.edu
Office Phone: 215-951-0111

Master of Architecture – University of California Los Angeles
B.S. / Architectural Engineering – California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

Armando Plata teaches and coordinates the Structures sequence courses, he also teaches fourth and fifth year Topic studio, Comprehensive studio and Interdisciplinary studio. All Design studios focus on the incorporation of Structure as a determinant force for making Architecture. He also teaches experimental structures.

Professor Plata is a licensed professional Engineer and registered Architect. He holds the National Certification in both disciplines (NCARB and NCEES) and is a LEED accredited professional. He established his interdisciplinary practice in 1990 and has designed and built residential and commercial projects in the United States and Latin America.

Armando worked for the renowned structural engineering firm Le Messurier Consultants in Boston, MA where he designed structures for higher education, corporate and commercial buildings.

With a career that combines professional experience in the fields of Architecture, Structural Engineering and Building construction, Mr. Plata brings a unique perspective to the classroom and Design Studio.

His research is focused on structures and architectural design through the study of various subjects such as form finding structures, computational methods of generative structural design and digital synthesis of structural form, typology and detail. Currently, he is working on the use of the structure insulated panel (SIP) for roof and wall-roof systems where the optimization of structure demands alternate geometries under different loading conditions.

Prior to joining Philadelphia University, Mr. Plata taught as an Assistant Professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology and Adjunct Professor at The Boston Architectural College, Woodbury University and Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico.