Architecture and Public Life
In cooperation with the Yale School of Architecture
July 23 –29, 2005
Presenters:Robert A. M. Stern (Chair) is dean of the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut. He is also the founder and senior partner of Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York City. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he received the AIA Medal of Honor in 1984 and the President’s Medal from the Architectural League of New York in 2002.
Patrick Bellew is principal and founding director of atelier ten in New York. He has completed projects around the world noted for their innovative design as well as their sustainability. Mr. Bellew is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Richard Burdett is centennial professor in architecture and urbanism at the London School of Economics (LSE). He is an adviser on architecture to the mayor of London and a member of the Greater London Authority’s Architecture and Urbanism Unit. He is also director of the Urban Age project organized by the LSE Cities Programme; and adviser on architecture to the BBC, Tate and other public agencies in the UK and abroad.
Fred Koetter is a founding partner of Koetter, Kim and Associate, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts. His current work includes institutional projects and urban design assignments in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Collage City, co-authored with Colin Rowe.
Farshid Moussavi is director of the Foreign Office Architects (FOA) in London. She previously worked with Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Renzo Piano’s Building Workshop. She was closely involved in the award winning Yokohama Port Terminal in Japan. FOA represented Britain at the 8th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2002.
Workshop Leaders and Panelists:
Keller Easterling is an architect, urbanist, and writer. An assistant professor at Yale School of Architecture, Ms. Easterling is the author of the forthcoming book Enduring Innocence: Global Architecture and its Political Masquerades and of Organization Space: Landscapes, Highways and Houses in America.
Alexander Garvin has combined a career in urban planning and real estate with teaching, architecture, and public service. He is a commissioner on the New York City Planning Commission, and director of planning, design, and development of NYC2012, the committee to bring the Summer Olympics to New York City in 2012.
Keith Krumwiede is assistant dean and assistant professor at Yale School of Architecture. Prior to teaching at Yale, Mr. Krumwiede taught at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and at the Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design in Stockholm, Sweden.
Edward Mitchell is an architect, writer, and associate professor at Yale School of Architecture. His work has received awards in competitions for the Atlantic Olympics and University of California at Los Angeles’ “New Public Space.”
Alan Plattus is a professor of architecture and urbanism at the Yale School of Architecture and the director and founder of the Yale Urban Design Workshop. Mr. Plattus has lectured internationally on urban history, architectural theory, and has conducted urban policy workshops for citizens and civic groups.
Session Abstract
Architecture is about the built environment, but it is also much more: architecture provides the physical framework for all human activity and thus shapes the way we live and interact with each other. Architecture is the interface between the human and the physical environment. It gives structure to all economic, political, social, and cultural activity, thus, what and how we build shapes and forms our civic realm, our environment, and influences all aspects of public life. Architecture is about shaping our environment – past, present, and future. Buildings and public spaces mold our societies and cultures. Therefore, in order to think about where and how we live and interact today, and to affect and improve the way we live and interact in the future, it is crucial to look at ways in which architecture intersects with the economic, environmental, historical, philosophical, and cultural fabric of our societies and to explore and analyze the complex interrelationship between architecture and public life.
Of course architecture is neither created in nor does it exist in a vacuum. The building of physical infrastructure is subject to a variety of constraints and conflicting demands, including political factors, financial realities, spatial and technical limitations, historical considerations, and public opinion. Therefore it is important, when considering the interface between architecture and public life, to take a multi-disciplinary approach and enrich the discourse with a variety of viewpoints and perspectives. To this end, this session will bring together architects, urban designers and planners, politicians, public policy experts, real estate developers, and architectural critics and scholars from around the world to examine the relationship between architecture and public life and to identify ways in which buildings and public spaces can shape our societies and cultures in positive, beneficial ways