Joel Sanders' work addresses identity, inclusivity, and social issues in architecture. Recently, his research has been focused on gender neutral bathrooms, a highly debated and relevant topic today. Stalled!, in collaboration with Susan Stryker, aims to create a relatively barrier free open precinct that encourages all embodied subjects to freely and safely engage with one another in public space. Joel believes that making these changes requires acknowledging the pivotal role that building codes play in shaping identity through design, as well as acknowledging that such codes are not neutral functional objectives but rather reflect and reproduce deep-seated cultural beliefs that shape the design of the spaces of our daily lives, including bathrooms.

In addition to running his studio based in New York City, Joel is a Professor of Architecture at Yale University. Prior to joining the Yale faculty, he was the Director of the Graduate Program in Architecture at Parsons School of Design and an Assistant Professor at Princeton University. Joel received both a B.A. and M.Arch from Columbia University.

The editor of Stud: Architectures of Masculinity (Princeton Architectural Press, 1996), he frequently writes about art and design, most recently in Pin-up, Art Forum and the Harvard Design Magazine. His monograph, Joel Sanders: Writings and Projects, was published by Monacelli Press in 2005. Groundwork: Between Landscape and Architecture, co-edited with Diana Balmori, was released by Monacelli Press in 2011.

An active member of the design community, he serves on committees and panels on behalf of the American Academy in Rome, MacDowell Colony, American Institute of Architects, Architectural League, and the GSA Peer Review. Joel is also a co-chair of Van Alen Institute's Program Leadership Council (www.vanalen.org).

In collaboration with the UM Initiative on Disability Studies (UMInDS), Stalled! Symposium continues Thursday, February 8.