Gilbert Delgado has been named Cornell's university architect, effective Aug. 1, according to Kyu Whang, vice president for facilities services.

Delgado is currently the national director of construction and project management in the Office of the Chief Architect at the General Services Administration (GSA) in Washington, D.C. He previously was the director of the National Border Station Program on the Mexican and Canadian borders.

As university architect, Delgado will lead initiatives to meet Cornell's long-range aesthetic goals and provide leadership for design and planning initiatives for all major capital projects at the university. His duties will include selection, management and mentoring of outside architects on capital projects and presentation of designs to the university and the board of trustees. He will succeed Donald R. Gordon, associate university architect, who has served as interim university architect since Jan. 8, 2007.

As one of the leading promoters of the GSA's prized Design Excellence Program, Delgado served on more than 20 architectural selection committees and organized several design competitions for new federal projects. He has critiqued designs and hosted design peer reviews for courthouses and border stations across the country. Delgado also managed the design and construction of a major high-rise courthouse and the renovation of a historic U.S. post office, both in Sacramento, Calif.

Delgado earned a bachelor of design degree from the University of Florida and a bachelor of architecture degree from the University of Miami. He will report directly to Whang.

"Gilbert is extremely knowledgeable in matters of architectural design. His work with the GSA has exposed him to a number of high-profile architects practicing a wide variety of architecture," Whang said. "His knowledge of architectural design will effectively round out our strong project management, planning and construction management team. I am looking forward to working with him."