Archinect Sessions
Session 22: "Starts with me, ends with us"

We are delighted to devote the entirety of this episode to an interview with Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. Our discussion spanned their nearly 30 years (and counting) working together, focusing not on individual projects but their architectural philosophy, their material explorations, and their work with landscape. The rising cream throughout was the way Williams and Tsien talk with one another, each pulling on their side of the rowboat to craft a truly collaborative response.

Direct download: Archinect-Sessions-22.mp3
Category:architecture -- posted at: 3:01pm PDT

Session 21: "Fast Forward, Look Back"

Last week, Michael Graves passed away at the age of 80. In the aftermath, much attention has been paid to his most eye-catching work, but as often occurs when someone of great influence passes away, focusing on the person's products comes at the expense of honoring their humanity – simply, who they were as a person. In this light, this episode we hear from Patrick Burke, principal and studio head at Michael Graves Architecture & Design (where Burke got his start in 1982), reflect on Graves’ life of hard work, perseverance, and empathy.

Paul and Amelia also paid a visit to the UCLA IDEAS campus in Playa Vista, to speak with Craig Hodgetts about his rapidly accelerating Hyperloop Studio, where students are bringing Elon Musk’s transit technology into the near-future. Donna also reflects on Thom Mayne’s marathon visit through Indiana, and Ken shares some finer points of career politics.

Direct download: Archinect-Sessions-21.mp3
Category:architecture -- posted at: 2:18pm PDT

Session 20: "Three Funerals and a Curator"

Ten minutes before we sat down to record this week's episode, the Pritzker Prize Laureate was announced – posthumously. The winner, Frei Otto (1925 - 2015), was a German architect whose impressive work and research with lightweight and sustainable structures influenced countless architects through the 20th century to today. Otto was informed of the prize before his death in Germany this past Monday, March 9, prompting the Pritzker committee to make the formal announcement the day after. 

This episode, we reflect on Otto's remarkable life and the Prize's announcement in the midst of his passing. We also examine the uncertain fate (and value) of Frank Gehry's Winton Guest House, which will be up for sale on May 19, and consider whether architects should shoulder the cultural and emotional weight of deciding how we bury our dead.

And on the heels of Google's announcement that BIG will collaborate with Heatherwick Studios on their campus expansion, Amelia spoke with curator Brooke Hodge in her office at the Cooper Hewitt, about bringing Heatherwick to an American audience with her "Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio" exhibition, currently on view at the Hammer Museum through May 24.

Direct download: Archinect-Sessions-20.mp3
Category:architecture -- posted at: 1:55pm PDT

Session 19: "Don't be Evil, Don't Throw Stones"

This week Amelia, Paul, Donna and Ken discuss the somewhat controversial Google Headquarters design by BIG and Heatherwick. On a completely different note, we also discuss the new, and the nation's first, slavery museum, Whitney Plantation, in Louisiana. 

Direct download: Archinect-Sessions-19.mp3
Category:architecture -- posted at: 11:10am PDT

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