Ph.D. - Architectural History, Georgia Institute of Technology

M.Arch & BA, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Areas of Interest & History

Zachary Tate Porter is a historian, educator, and designer. Through his teaching, Porter infuses architectural design with concerns for historical, theoretical, and cultural context. Prior to joining UNL, he taught design studios and history/theory courses at SCI-Arc and the University of Southern California.

Trained first as an architect and then as a historian, Porter brings a multi-modal approach to architectural research that weaves together the practices of writing, curation, and design. The products of this research range from traditional forms of scholarly output, such as peer-reviewed publications, invited lectures, and conference presentations, to more speculative forms of theoretical inquiry, including exhibitions and performances, as well as a wide array of speculative images and objects. For Porter, such a multi-modal approach facilitates exploration and experimentation across numerous scales and temporalities while also creating a variety of entry points for an outside audience. Porter’s dissertation project investigated the ways in which jurisdictional competition shaped the professions of architecture, landscape architecture, and city planning during the early twentieth century. His current research examines the shifting conceptions of ground that undergird modern and contemporary architectural production.

Publications (selected)

“Erasures, Transgressions, and Demarcations: Site Tactics for the Post-Internet City.” In Black Box: Articulating Architecture’s Core in the Post-Digital Era, ed. J. Ficca, A. Kulper, and G. La (2019)

“Paradigms of Architectural Knowledge: What to do when Knowledge Becomes Data.” The Site Magazine 39: “Foundations and Disruptions” (2018)

“Pedagogical Polarities.” In L.A. Forum Newsletter, ed. A. Dietz and R. Berry (Summer 2018)

“Architecture ≠ Landscape: The Case Against Hybridization.” In The Ethical Imperative: Proceedings of the 106th Annual ACSA Meeting, ed. A. Ameri & R. O’Neal Dagg (2018)

“Pedagogy of the Present: Frederick L. Ackerman’s Unrealized Vision for Architectural Education.” In Archinect Cross-Talk 2: “Pedagogy,” ed. A. Morey (2017)

Offramp 11: “Ground.” Edited by Zachary Tate Porter (Spring/Summer 2016)

“Tom Wiscombe Interviewed by Zachary Tate Porter.” In Offramp 11: “Ground,” ed. Z. Porter (Spring/Summer 2016)

“Contested Terrain: Professional Jurisdiction as a Frame for Analyzing the Architecture/Landscape Divide.” In Shaping New Knowledges: Proceedings of the 104th Annual ACSA Meeting, ed. R. Corser & S. Haar (2016)

“Our Useless Past: A Historiographical Editorial.” Offramp 10: “Useless,” ed. B. Smith (Fall/Winter 2015)

“Architectural Fractures: Computation and Form in the Work of Le Corbusier and John Hejduk.” In Where Do You Stand?: Proceedings of the 99th Annual ACSA Meeting, ed. A. Cormier, A. Pedret, & A. Perez-Gomez (2011)