For 40 years Gund Hall has reigned as an architectural icon of the 20th century: great bones, proudly displayed. But changes in contemporary architectural practice and education, along with the need for increased energy efficiency have argued for updating. The GSD is rising to the challenge.
Dean Mohsen Mostafavi has published 5 books in the past two years. In his writing as well as his leadership of the GSD, he is tireless in fostering engagement: between mentors and students, people in communities, the design professions with each other, and the GSD with the world. He’ll sleep later. Read Spencer Bailey’s interview with the dean for Surface.
This fall, the GSD collaborated with Lars Müller Publishers to release three new publications.
Theaster Gates (LF 2011) has been named inaugural winner of the Vera List Center Prize for Art and Politics at the New School. The biennial prize honors an artist who has taken risks to advance social justice. Read more on the LOEBlog.
Jenny French (MArch ’11) visited 15 unbuilt visionary architecture projects around the world for the Julia A. Appleton Traveling Fellowship. The exhibit based on her inquiry, “Representation’s Ghost,” is on display in Gund through January 28. In other exciting news, French was shortlisted for the 2013 MOMA PS1 Young Architects Program. Results of the competition are expected early next year.
The 2012 RIBA Stirling prize went to a dark horse this year: the Sainsbury Lab designed by Stanton Williams. Hanif Kara’s (lecturer in creative engineering) structural and civil engineering firm AKT II shared the accolades.
Krzysztof Wodiczko (professor in residence of art, design and the public domain) has animated the statue of Abraham Lincoln in NYC with the stories of contemporary veterans for “Abraham Lincoln: War Veteran Projection.” The Wall Street Journal has the story.
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.
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.