New Faculty Jose Sanchez Wants You to Play With Architecture — Literally

By Grace Stanley

Jose Sanchez doesn’t just design buildings — he designs games that teach people how to build a better world.

As a new associate professor of design technology at Cornell Tech and the Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, Sanchez brings a groundbreaking approach to architecture that centers on gameplay, cooperation, and the stewardship of shared resources: what he calls “the Commons.”

Through his award-winning video games “Block’hood” and “Common’hood,” Sanchez invites players to explore the complexities of urban systems, ecological sustainability, and social equity.  His simulations challenge users to think critically about how people live together, share resources, and build for the future.

Sanchez’s games have been recognized by the Games for Change Festival and exhibited at the Harlem Gallery of Science, sparking public dialogue around design and community engagement. His book, “Architecture for the Commons,” expands on these ideas, and his interactive installation, “Bloom,” won the City of London’s Wonder Series for the 2012 Olympics, bringing participatory design to life on a global stage.

Sanchez is also the director of the Plethora Project, a research studio investing in the future of architectural design education. With roots in Chile and a global academic journey that includes the Architectural Association in London and the University of Michigan, he now joins Cornell Tech’s Design Tech program. Now in its second year, the multicollege Design Tech initiative connects Cornell Tech with Ithaca-based scholars in architecture, engineering, human ecology, and computing to explore the intersection of design innovation and emerging technologies.

In the Q&A below, Sanchez describes how he’s excited to collaborate with Cornell scholars and New York’s vibrant creative ecosystem, pushing the boundaries of how we imagine — and play — our cities into existence.

What inspired you to pursue a career in this field?

I received my education in Chile, and my interest in math and drawing led me to architecture. It wasn’t until I completed my professional degree and pursued a master’s at the Architectural Association in London that I began to conceive how technology could reshape my architectural practice. I became increasingly curious about how technology could serve as a participatory medium, which led me to shift my focus from generative design to adopting video game simulations as a central area of research.

I grew up playing “SimCity” and was shaping my career during the early days of “Minecraft,” so those were certainly influences that inspired me to develop video games such as “Block’hood” and “Common’hood,” which propose models for ecological thinking in the authorship of architectural content.

What past professional work are you most proud of and why?

For many years, I theorized about developing and publishing an architecture video game that could be made available to the public. This turned out to be a larger endeavor than anticipated, requiring several years of work. “Block’hood,” my first video game project, took three years of development, one of which was dedicated to supporting and updating the live release.

I believe there is an important difference between exhibiting prototypes of a simulation to a small audience in a controlled environment and publishing a video game for a large, global audience. I didn’t want to merely theorize about the potential engagement of actual players; I wanted to enter into a dialogue with a community that would use the game to think about the city. The journey behind this project was documented in the film “Gaming the Real World,” directed by Anders Eklund. I hope that my future work will continue to build on and mature these ideas.

What is your current academic and research focus?

My research focuses on studying video game simulations as a participatory medium for architecture. I believe that games can serve as tools for social engagement; I develop software and installations that instigate cooperative dynamics and reflect on how we collectively manage systems. I am particularly interested in what drives cooperative behavior and how we can organize to foster the stewardship of the Commons.

What motivated you to come to Cornell Tech?

I see great potential in the Design Tech program, led by Jenny Sabin. It represents an opportunity to challenge disciplinary boundaries and develop impactful research that engages with communities in New York City. As technology evolves rapidly, we urgently need to expand our imagination around the role technology plays in society. The Design Tech program is asking the right questions and offers a valuable platform for exploring alternative models of computation that critically engage with the notion of cooperative enterprises.

What are you most looking forward to about working in New York City?

I’m excited to engage with the city’s rich cultural landscape and connect with the diverse range of artists, architects, game designers, and practitioners developing experimental work in New York. My connection to the city has grown through the Games for Change Festival, which has recognized my video games (Block’hood and Common’hood), as well as through opportunities to exhibit my work at the Harlem Gallery of Science, where I observed a strong community interest in this kind of work. I look forward to collaborating with local institutions to develop workshops and community engagement initiatives, as we did in Detroit for the Detroit at Play initiative in partnership with my previous institution, the University of Michigan.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Besides games, which are more tied to my work, I have a deep appreciation for literature, and I love discussing books with friends. I particularly like the work of Benjamin Labatut, Alejandro Zambra, Jorge Luis Borges, Mariana Enríquez, and Roberto Bolaño in a Latin American context. I also have a passion for science fiction, where I’m fascinated by the work of Octavia Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, Philip K. Dick, Stanisław Lem, China Miéville, and Jeff VanderMeer. These, and certainly many other books, serve as strong references for the work I do.

Grace Stanley is the staff writer-editor for Cornell Tech.