As the son of a professor of geology, Henry was immersed in an exploratory environment from a young age. Curiosity about the relationship between our built environment and the planet we inhabit led him to study a BA in landscape architecture at Pennsylvania State University and a masters in architecture at Carnegie Mellon University.
He started his professional career as an architect and landscape architect in 1988 with the founding of Hanson Design Group, an architecture, landscape architecture and urban design company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The primary focus of the firm was community-based visioning and development. The group worked with a wide variety of government agencies, community development corporations, school districts, and not-for-profit organizations to assist communities in the pursuit of their dreams. Projects included community vision planning, streetscape design, commercial revitalization strategies, affordable housing, community center design, and open space planning.
Henry’s teaching experience includes 18 years as an adjunct associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University teaching an architectural design studio and landscape technology, including three summer abroad programs. In 1999 Henry was invited to support efforts to establish a participatory process in the Czech Republic. Through a series of projects funded by the Heinz Endowments, Henry established numerous relationships in Central Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic. From 2002 – 2004 Henry was a guest lecturer at the Czech Technical University, four years later he was invited to teach full time at the Faculty of Architecture where he has established the Landscape & Architecture studio. With the assistance of a team of Ph.D. students, the studio explores the relationship we build with our environment. In addition to the studio, Henry teaches courses in landscape technology, urban ecosystems, and social ecology. He is director of the Czech based not for profit organization, Centre for the Future where his focus is on international, interdisciplinary workshops and research initiatives. In 2012 Henry joined the North Carolina State University Prague Institute where he has taught studio and seminar courses.