Office: Gould 208M
Office Hours: by appointment
tyler2@uw.edu
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Research Keywords
structural design
thin shell concrete
structural engineering
history of modern architecture
Tyler Sprague
Associate Professor
Tyler S. Sprague PE., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture, with an Adjunct appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He holds engineering degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington (UW) and worked professionally as a structural engineer before completing a Ph.D. in architectural history in the College of Built Environments at the UW.
Dr. Sprague’s research investigates the intersection of architecture and structural engineering, in both post-war modern architecture and the present. He has written on the rise of concrete skyscrapers in the Pacific Northwest, the engineering of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, and other topics. In 2019, he published Sculpture on a Grand Scale: Jack Christiansen’s Thin Shell Modernism with the University of Washington Press. This text explores Christiansen’s prolific work in thin-shell concrete which culminated in the largest free-standing concrete dome in the world: the Seattle Kingdome.
He teaches courses in both structural design and history/ criticism. He has led the Barry Onouye Endowed Studio for several years, exploring exciting topics like wood shell construction, fabric-formed concrete, and hanging nets – encouraging students to incorporate structure in to their conceptual design work.
He currently serves on the board of docomomo wewa (the regional chapter of the international preservation advocacy group), and the Construction History Society of America.