Architectural Record looks at 6 schools that represent exemplary 20th century design for architectural education and reports on how they are faring for the 21st century. Foremost among the gorgeous structures is Gund Hall, which beginning in 2010 has undergone a redesign of its studio spaces overseen by Lee Cott (MArch ’70). More on that to come. In the meantime, read “The Architecture of Architecture Schools.”
Architectural Record just published the annual review by DesignIntelligence, “America’s Top Architecture Schools 2013,” and Harvard once again appears in first place for graduate architectural education, as it has for 12 of the 14 years of the ranking. Not only that, it is number 1 in graduate landscape architecture education as well. What keeps the GSD at the top? “Not only does it have a strong reputation overall, but it scores very well in design, analysis, planning, and the communication skills that graduates need in professional practice.” Read James P. Cramer’s Architectural Record and DesignIntelligence articles or download the entire DI survey.
Belinda Tato and Jose Luis Vallejo (design critics in urban planning and design and founding members of Ecosistema Urbano of Madrid) just won a competition for the construction of the Reggio Children Foundation’s new experimental education center in Italy.
Twin GSD alums Teman and Teran Evans (MArch ’04 and lecturers in architecture) aren’t worried when the New York Times proclaims the architect is obsolete. They have parlayed their celebrated design skills into a firm that offers brand consulting, architectural design and jewelry design, and they are currently jolting the thinking of GSD students through their Paper or Plastic seminar. As Teman puts it, “We’re three-dimensional problem-solvers, and we can solve problems at the big scale of buildings and also small problems that fit in your hand.” Read more in “Architects in supermarkets” in the Harvard Gazette.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, WBUR's Renee Loth highlights the new MDesS concentration, Risk and Resilience, designed to address “the inevitability of unpredictable shocks to the built and natural environmen.”
Carlos Garciavelez (MAUD '12 and teaching associate in urban design) published his thesis research "Concrete Matters: Beyond Stillbirth Infrastructure" in the Mexican journal Arquine. Garciavelez argues for the introduction of a rapid transit bus system to the Periférico, a double decker beltway in Mexico City, to partially transform it into a mass transit infrastructure and create new public amenities for the city. Read “El Periférico como generador ce cuidad.”
Lucas Correa Sevilla (MAUD '12) and Pablo Pérez Ramos (MLA '12, DDesS candidate) recently presented their research "Sustainability Through New Methodologies of Urban and Landscape Design" in the "Ecuador Será Sustentable" congress. The congress, organized by Grupo FARO, pursues a multidisciplinary approach to a long-term debate on the interactions among environment, economy and society in Ecuador.
Chris Reed (adjunct associate professor of landscape architecture) has envisioned the transformation of a heavily used but uninviting space at Harvard – the Science Center plaza – into a new social hub and destination. It’s a fitting task for Reed and his firm Stoss Landscape Urbanism, whose hybridized approach rooted in infrastructure, functionality and ecology was recognized with a prestigious 2012 Smithsonian / Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award. Read "A 'Common Space' at Harvard’s Crossroads" in the current issue of Harvard Magazine.
Stefano Andreani (MDesS ’13) was a virtual presenter at the AA Visiting School at Rome on October 25, with a lecture that ranged from theories and prototypes of Parametric Architecture to his ongoing Design Robotics Group inquiry into ceramics and robotics.
Chris Reed (adjunct associate professor of landscape architecture) just returned from Asia, where he was a keynote speaker at the 2012 Forum on Resilient Cities, hosted by Kongjian Yu (design critic in landscape architecture and DDesS 95) at the Peking University College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in Beijing.