In a significant move, Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Architecture has named Tuliza Sindi, a South African architect and educator, as its new Curator for Public Programs and Director of Publications. This appointment follows an international search to fill the pivotal role aimed at shaping the future of the school’s public discourse and academic publishing.
Sindi brings a wealth of experience from her time as a researcher, practitioner, and educator. She previously led the graduate design-research studio Unit 19 (2020–22) at the University of Johannesburg’s Graduate School of Architecture and held the 2023-2025 Ann Kalla Professorship in Architecture at Carnegie Mellon. In 2022, she co-founded the cross-disciplinary collective room19isaFactory with three of her former students, where she has been developing a concept she calls “Unreasonable Architecture.” Her work challenges traditional design perspectives on land, cosmology, and property regimes, positioning architecture as a critical medium for rethinking these constructs.
In her new role, Sindi will oversee Carnegie Mellon Architecture’s annual Public Programs series, working in collaboration with faculty, staff, and students to develop thought-provoking and interdisciplinary discussions. Additionally, she will lead the school’s EX-CHANGE exhibition and publication, which showcases the work of students across its various programs, and oversee broader efforts to disseminate the school’s research and student projects. Her leadership will focus on engaging with some of the most pressing issues in the field today, including climate change, artificial intelligence, and social justice.
Tuliza’s experience and exposure spans across several geographies, some of which include Mozambique, Sweden, Brazil, France, England, Cape Verde, Namibia, Ethiopia, Israel, the United States and Ghana. Through her experience, she hopes to drive a vision towards a globally relevant and discursive public programs and publications framework that can help move the discipline into its new directions.
