by: AIA New York
Following an exceptionally encouraging, and privileged upbringing, Derek A.R. Moore, Ph.D, AIA, spent years in “student penury” earning his BA, MA, and PhD in the history of art and architecture. As a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, he decided to look forward, not only backwards. Moore returned to school for his M.Arch, but described himself as a lousy student who struggled and had poor results. The lessons eventually took and he became enthralled by the challenges and impact of the planning and design of airport terminals and rail stations. He is hoping eventually to merge his historical and contemporary practice and to apply them to the regeneration of historic cities.
This year, the Jury of Fellows of the AIA elevated Moore to its prestigious College of Fellows in the second category of Fellowship, which recognizes architects who have made efforts “to advance the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of practice,” according to the organization’s definition. Moore was honored for his creation of structured planning processes for airport terminals and rail hubs, influencing transportation architecture globally and enhancing passenger journeys with locally resonant design. Moore’s distinction was celebrated at the AIA Conference on Architecture from June 4–7 in Boston, MA, as well as at the Center for Architecture during the 2025 New Fellows Celebration on Wednesday, March 19, from 6:00–8:00pm.
Q: What do you see as an architect’s role-and responsibility-within our culture?
That we always serve end users, the public and the environment, even when working for private interests. While some of our clients are airlines or other private entities, I have always insisted that terminals are civic, or quasi-civic buildings. Most terminals serve millions of passengers per year. Despite the downward pressure on costs, we as architects must strive to convince clients—both commercial and public—that we are placing design and material quality in the service of the public and the public realm, our shared built environment.
Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges, or opportunities, facing cities today?
The nexus of mobility and land use is an underappreciated challenge of all cities and towns. One hears that housing is the most acute challenge for cities of all sizes, but the degree to which housing scarcity and other urban challenges are bound up with the comprehensive challenge of mobility is not as well appreciated, at least in the lay press and public discourse. Ideally, a multimodal expansion, and indeed saturation of the city with public mobility options should precede and lead urban development, with an emphasis on density, walkability and a humane public realm.
Q: What has been particularly challenging in your recent work?
I am concerned about the rapid obsolescence of airport terminals. With the stabilization of aircraft dimensions in recent decades, it’s airport planning generally and terminal design specifically that are too bespoke, inflexible and shortsighted. The terminal at JFK that survived the longest into the current wave of rebuilding was the least remarkable as a work of architecture. The simple orthogonal structural grid and rectangular form allowed the old Terminal 2 (by White and Mariani) to remain in use until barely two years ago. Saarinen’s masterpiece TWA terminal was among the first to be shuttered. How can we design terminals that are both distinctive and more adaptable to changes in equipment and operations?
Q: Do you have a favorite building? Why?
While I have no favorite building per se, I have always been attracted to complexes, whether medieval monasteries, 19th-century markets, or the concatenation of buildings and spaces in pre-modern cities—the Pitti-Corridoio-Uffizi-Signoria ‘megastructure.’ I have a visceral response to architectural ensembles and cities of consistent materiality, especially cities ringing the Mediterranean. Places that made significant impressions on me as a child were as diverse in ‘style’ as Mesa Verde, Mont Saint-Michel, and—strange but true—SOM’s Air Force Academy—multi-form ensembles seemingly formed of a single substance.
Q: What are some of your favorite recent projects that you’ve worked on?
The projects of which I am proudest are the two terminals in India—Mumbai and Bangalore—and the Denver Union Station Multimodal Transit Center and District. I feel I made the definitive planning moves in shaping these projects, and that these moves were innovative within the building types and enhancements to their use. Mumbai pioneered a new way to swing facilities between international and domestic use. Bangalore’s plan was pulled apart to introduce an unprecedented immersive landscape into terminal journeys. Denver Union Station is woven into both the historic and newer urban fabric of my hometown, granting me a satisfaction I never expected to experience. I only wish my parents had lived to see the outcome.
Q: Any further remarks?
In addition to thanking the Chapter for advice and guidance, and the national panel that saw merit in my approach, I wish to thank my FAIA Sponsor, James Timberlake FAIA, and those who wrote letters of support. SOM has been the essential crucible from which my portfolio of work has emerged. I owe much to the Partners and colleagues. Earlier, during too many years of education an array of teachers were both unattainable models and figures of inspiration. Finally, throughout my career my wife Professor Charlotte Nichols has encouraged, goaded, questioned and supported my struggles with this calling of architect.
Editors’ Note: This feature is part of a series celebrating the members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Chapter who are elevated each year to the AIA College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to both the profession and society. Learn more about Fellowship here.