Architecture and Cities: Recombinant Urbanism
Grahame Shane
Responses by Diana Agrest, Brian McGrath, Dennis Adams, and Anthony Vidler
Organized in conjunction with the publication of the new book,
Recombinant Urbanism (Wiley, 2005), by Grahame Shane. Shane takes a
fresh look at urban design as practiced in North America and Europe,
considering the main approaches that have evolved over the past several
decades to deal with the fragmented contemporary city. In addition to
looking at the influences of participatory planning processes, zoning
codes, finance, and marketing on urban form, Recombinant Urbanism
proposes a new approach to contemporary practice that proposes urban
modeling as an method of augmenting standard architectural design
practices in an urban context.
Co-sponsored by the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of the Cooper
Union
Thursday, November 17
The Great Hall, Cooper Union
7 East 7th Street
6:30 p.m.
http://www.archleague.org/lectures.php?article=rec_urbanism
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Architecture and Development: Beijing
Yung Ho Chang
Zhang Xin /SOHO China
Moderator: Mario Gandelsonas
Zhang Xin founded the real estate development firm SOHO China (Small
Office Home Office) with her husband Pan Shiyi to develop new types of
dwellings for an emerging clientele of urban professionals in China. The
company has earned a reputation as a patron of innovative contemporary
architecture. SOHO China's projects include SOHO New Town, the Commune
by the Great Wall, and Boao Canal Village. Zhang Xin received her
master's degree in development economics from Cambridge University and
worked for Goldman Sachs and Travelers Group before founding SOHO China.
Architect Yung-Ho Chang recently became chair of the department of
architecture at MIT. Previously he was head of the Graduate Center of
Architecture at Peking University. He is also principal of the
architectural firm Atelier FCJZ; the firm's projects include private
residences and commercial buildings. Yung Ho Chang was Kenzo Tange
Professor in the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University in
2002-3, and has exhibited his work in both the art and architecture
biennales in Venice.
Mario Gandelsonas is principal of the firm Agrest and Gandelsonas and
professor of architecture at Princeton University. Recent work of Agrest
and Gandelsonas includes multiple projects for the government of the
Xujiahui district of Shanghai. Recent books by Mario Gandelsonas include
X-Urbanism (1999) and Shanghai Reflections (2002).
Thursday, October 20
Donnell Library Center
20 West 53rd Street
6:30 p.m.
http://www.archleague.org/lectures.php?article=beijing