A. LAWRENCE KOCHER (1885 - 1969) was an American architect who studied at Stanford, MIT, and Penn State University, where he subsequently ended up teaching architecture and design before becoming the head of the Department of Architecture in 1926. Kocher was particularly interested in maximizing affordability, and through the 1930s, he explored the use of new industrial materials in domestic structures, including aluminum with steel and canvas over plywood. He became the editor of Architectural Record and a professor at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, for which he designed several buildings. He was recognized as an American leader in European-inspired modernism, and his work was featured in MoMA’s 1932 “International Style” exhibition.

(Source: MoMA + Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians)