He received a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Virginia and both a M.Arch and M.S. in Architecture History and Theory from the University of Michigan. He taught at the University of Michigan as a Lecturer in Architecture (1999-2006) before joining the University of Minnesota as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2006.He has worked for architecture and planning firms in both the Washington D.C. area and Ann Arbor, Michigan and is a founding partner of W+C design, established in 2002.His focus areas of research and writing consist of new forms of contested urbanism, the practice of architecture photography, design-build as a model for design education and the relationships between early childhood education and the design of active learning environments.Teddy Cruz