/ From left to right: Juliette Spertus, Lola Sheppard, Georgeen Theodore, Natalie Jerimijenko, Linda Taalman, Robert G. Shibley, Martha Bohm, Joyce Hwang, Omar Khan, Hansy L. Better Barraza, Yolande Daniels and Lori Brown. / Photo by Dylan Buyskes
Reconsidering Models of Practice
The symposium’s eight invited panelists are some of the most innovative thinkers and practitioners in the field today. Linda Taalman, principal of Taalman Koch Architecture, internationally known for the “itHouse,” a line of prefabricated minimalist houses that support off-the-grid, sustainable living. “Design is a process of exchange and collaboration. If you do it really well, my instinct is you will not be able to see the role of the architect in the final product.” Hansy L. Better Barraza, principal of Studio Luz Architects, associate professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, and co-founder of BRACE: Building Research + Architecture + Community Exchange, a nonprofit collaboration of artists, designers and community members. Juliette Spertus, architect, writer and curator whose recent exhibition, “Fast Trash,” articulates the beauty and ingenuity of Roosevelt Island’s underground, pneumatic garbage system. Georgeen Theodore, whose firm, Interboro Partners, worked with the Museum of Modern Art on “Holding Pattern,” a project exploring institution-community connections and recycling through a temporary public space outside the museum. “Good design emerges through journalistic research, good detective work and the suspension of judgment.”
/ Above: Georgeen Theodore / Below: Yolande Daniels / Right: Lori Brown / Photos by Dylan Buyskes
Natalie Jeremijenko, director of xDesign Environmental Health Clinic, and an artist, engineer and scholar whose work explores the interface of society, the environment and technology. Lola Sheppard, principal, Lateral Office, which has partnered with Canada’s Nunavut Territory to design the Arctic Food Network in support of food security, safe navigation and ecological restoration for this remote, transitioning community. Yolande Daniels, principal of Studio SUMO, whose awardwinning work includes the design of ethnic museums and a culturally sensitive housing project in Miami’s Little Haiti. She discussed BLINDSPOTS, a series of projects that explore the intersection of race, architecture and the city. Lori Brown, professor of architecture, Syracuse University, whose work operates in both traditional realms and social, political and institutional arenas where architects are not typically present. “If we as architects and designers are going to change the world, I argue this will be from the ground up. We must move beyond mere form-maker, recognize the complexities inherent in our world and capitalize on their potential as agents of change.”