James Biber studied architecture and biology at Cornell University, traveling on fellowship after graduation. He taught and practiced architecture in New York before establishing his own office in 1984. In 1991, Pentagram invited him to become the second architectural partner in the firm after founder Theo Crosby.

Like his partners, his practice does not specialize in a single area, but covers a wide range of building types and client profiles. He and his team design private and commercial projects including museums and exhibitions, restaurants, retail stores and residences, as well as custom furniture, lighting and products.

Recent projects include the design of the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the design of corporate suites, club lounges and team locker rooms for the new Arizona Cardinals football stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Biber has also created award-winning environments for Mesa Grill, Gotham Bar and Grill, Bolo and JUdson Grill, landmarks in Manhattan’s restaurant scene.

Biber and his team have produced a range of residential projects in recent years including the restoration of the Sten-Frenke House, an early modern house designed by Richard Neutra in Los Angeles; the Swiss Army House, a prototypical low-cost house; and the Montauk House, a Case Study House-inspired oceanfront compound recently featured on the cover of the Robb Report magazine Vacation Homes.

Other clients include The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Muzak, Disney Imagineering, Swatch, Bausch & Lomb, The Fashion Center, DuPont Corian, United Parcel Service, National Building Museum, The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, The Library of Congress and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. In 2000, Biber was selected to design the National Millennium Time Capsule for the White House Millennium Council, now safely ensconced in the National Archive until 2100.

Biber has taught architecture at Cornell University, Syracuse University and Parsons the New School for Design, and his projects have appeared in leading design, architecture and consumer press. Biber is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and has been recognized with major awards from the AIA, I.D. and Communication Arts magazines, the New York State Association of Architects, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), The Municipal Art Society, The Art Directors Club, the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), The Society of Environmental Graphic Designers (SEGD) and The Architectural League.