Gsapp Conversations

Paula Vilaplana, a second year graduate student in GSAPP's Critical, Curatorial and Conceptual Practices in Architecture program speaks with Jan De Vylder of architecten de vylder vinck taillieuin advance of his lecture at the school on September 24, 2018. Jan De Vylder co-founded the Belgium-based architecture firm, architecten de vylder vinck taillieu, along with Inge Vinck and Jo Taillieu. Their work focuses on the act of making, positioning architecture in the critical role of both craft and cultural production. The firm was recently awarded a Silver Lion at the 2018 Venice Biennale, and has exhibited widely, often in collaboration with photographer Filip Dujardin.

Cristina Díaz Moreno and Efrén García Grinda, co-founders of architecture practice amid.cero9, speak with Paul Amitai, GSAPP’s Co-Director of Events in advance of their lecture on September 17, 2018. Cristina Díaz Moreno and Efrén García Grinda are Diploma Unit Masters at the Architectural Association in London, and their collective amid.cero9 works to recontextualize contemporary notions of space through a technological and sociological lens. They discuss public translation of architecture, particularly focusing on the leverage and creation of symbolism within public spaces for political means. “I think symbolism is a tricky question in architecture. But we constantly associate actions with ideals. How can we work as architects, not simply taking the banality of things and translating it into architectural languages, but how can we deal with this symbolic dimension of certain actions?” - Efrén García Grinda

Third-year M.Arch student Alexander van Odom speaks with Felecia Davis, Assistant Professor at the Stuckeman Center for Design and Computation in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Penn State and the director of the university’s computational textile lab (SOFTLAB@PSU), in advance of her lecture at the school on September 13, 2018. They discuss the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of computational textile design and how her work has transformed concepts of how we communicate, socialize and use space. “To work in conjunction with other people is super important as an architecture student. And maybe try some things that you think are related to architecture, but you aren’t quite sure how yet. Go out on a limb. There’s so many different phenomenon going on right now that I think belong to architecture, but we’re not quite sure how to grapple with them.”–Felecia Davis

Dean Amale Andraos speaks with Evan Sharp, co-founder and chief product officer of Pinterest and Columbia GSAPP alumnus, in advance of his lecture at the school on September 7, 2018. They discuss how architectural thinking has informed Sharp’s practice as a designer and entrepreneur, and delve into the role of architects as image makers with the capability to shape dreams, and the importance of a more human centered approach to design and technology. “I think architecture is ultimately about shelter, environment, and the human. In technology, it’s easy to forget sometimes who you’re building for, because you don’t see or interact with them. So having that body memory, that the point of all this is people, is really powerful. And that’s something I learned at GSAPP.”–Evan Sharp

Andrés Jaque, Associate Professor and Director of the Advanced Architectural Design (AAD) program at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with architect and designer Marco Ferrari, co-founder of Studio Folder. Ferrari visited the school on June 6, 2018 to present a lecture as part of the AAD program’s Arguments Lecture Series, which examines the frontlines of contemporary architecture practice. Ferrari and Jaque discuss how cartography impacts not only the construction of space, but also the construction of reality. Ferrari also considers how Studio Folder’s exhibitions and design work question the accuracy of spatial mapping as a representation of the planet, and the role architects can play in rethinking ideas about borders. “Borders are at the center of political discussions more and more these days. I think architecture and design should take a very precise role to demolish notions of borders in their entirety, and to operate a shift in the global consciousness about the complete obsolescence of these tools.” –Marco Fe

Michelle Young ('12 MSUP) of Untapped Cities speaks with four recent members of the GSAPP Incubator: Mustafa Faruki ('10 M.Arch), Nile Greenberg ('16 M.Arch), Marcelo López-Dinardi ('13 MSCCCP), and Jieun Yang ('08 M.Arch). They discuss their experiences working at the Incubator over the past year, and the challenges and opportunities facing architecture students and practitioners within the current cultural and economic landscape.

In remembrance of the 50th anniversary of the student protests at Columbia University in May 1968, we are rebroadcasting our conversation from last March with architect and Columbia alumna Sharon Egretta Sutton ('73 M.Arch). Sutton spoke with Columbia GSAPP Associate Professor Mabel O. Wilson ('91 M.Arch) about the publication of her book, When Ivory Towers Were Black, which tells the story of how an unparalleled cohort of ethnic minority students earned degrees from Columbia University’s School of Architecture in the aftermath of '68, and during a time of fierce struggles to open the ivory tower to ethnic minority students. "Social justice in this case is occurring on two levels: the one is opening up the elite professions to historically marginalized students; the other is using institutional resources to improve historically marginalized populations. And that has been my life agenda." - Sharon Egretta Sutton

Ayala Levin speaks in advance of her lecture on April 16, given as part of the Detlef Mertins annual series. Having completed her Ph.D. at GSAPP in 2015, Levin is now an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University’s Art History department. Her research focuses on architectural knowledge exchange, with an emphasis on urban planning projects in post-independence African states. In this GSAPP Conversations Bonus Episode, Levin discusses how she came to research architecture and her introduction to the field at GSAPP. She touches on her Ph.D. research on construction projects by Israeli architects during the mid-20th century in postcolonial Africa, as well current research on American construction in contemporary Africa. "In a sense, I needed to be grounded in an art discipline that has a public weight – much more than literature and the arts … architecture really shapes people’s lives, and people really do relate to architecture in every aspect of their being." —Ayala Levin More information on Ayala L

Jorge Otero-Pailos, Professor and Director of the Historic Preservation program at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with Brennan Gerard and Ryan Kelly, artists who use their performances as a form of inquiry and preservation, in advance of their lecture on March 22, 2018. They discuss the architecture of intimacy and its intersection with queer identity, explored in their project Modern Living. They also touch on whether the ‘dream house’ ever really exists – or if it’s an invention of real estate agents. "It is about a time spent, intimately, listening, passing time, noticing, observing, the different ways the environment affects the space. Trying really, I guess, feel what it felt like, to live in the space." –Ryan Kelly More information on Gerard and Kelly at http://gerardandkelly.com/ More information on their lecture at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/922-on-modern-living

Jarrett Ley, a dual degree graduate student in the Architecture and Critical, Curatorial and Conceptual Practices program at GSAPP speaks with Keller Easterling on the occasion of her lecture on April 4, 2018. They discuss her work investigating infrastructure space, which Easterling describes as “a set of rules and relationships in which buildings and activities are suspended”, and how it’s shifted since the 2016 election. They also touch on whether architects have to be right—and if not, what else should they strive for? “Maybe space itself is the underexploited medium of contemporary innovation? One that allows for mixtures of information systems and really lumpy, really rich mixtures. That’s the thing I’m advocating for.” –Keller Easterling More information on Keller Easterling at http://kellereasterling.com/ More information on her lecture at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/808-keller-easterling

Luiza Furia, a first-year M.Arch student speaks with German architect Juergen Mayer H. of J. MAYER H. und Partner, Architekten, in advance of his lecture at the school on March 26, 2018. They discuss Mayer’s work in Georgia, and how the pace of development in cities such as Berlin can affect the character of a city. Mayer also touches on his examination of the interaction between the digital world and the physical world, including the XXX in Times Square – as well as his interest in the color beige. "I think [architecture] is the tool or the language I can use best to express something. It’s a tool that allows me to express certain aspects that are related to how we live together, how we see our society, how we find the moment of our time, right now." –Juergen Mayer H. More information on Juergen Mayer H. at http://www.jmayerh.de/index.php More information on his lecture at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/819-juergen-mayer-h

James Brillon, a third-year M.Arch student, speaks with European architects Giovanni Piovene and Ambra Fabi of PioveneFabi in advance of their lecture at the school on March 19, 2018. They discuss how objects play into architecture and how they attempt to use local materials in their projects to see cities in different ways. They also touch on how teaching has shaped not only the creation of their practice but also how they now design. “The reason we started this office is because we were each really thinking about process in a completely different way… almost opposite from one another.” –Giovanni Piovene More information on PioveneFabi at http://www.piovenefabi.it More information on their lecture at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/818-piovenefabi

Korean architect Minsuk Cho speaks in advance of his keynote lecture taking place during GSAPP Alumni Weekend on June 2, 2018. After graduating from the M. Arch program in 1992, he established Cho Slade Architecture in 1998, with fellow GSAPP alumnus James Slade. In 2003, Cho returned to Korea to open his own firm, Mass Studies, to great success - winning the Golden Lion for Best National Participation at the 2015 Venice Biennial. In this GSAPP Conversations Bonus Episode, Cho discusses how his time at GSAPP and in New York changed his perspective and career and how contemporary Korean architecture differs from American equivalent. He also touches on some of his latest projects, including a publicly funded film and arts space. "I actually looked back at my portfolio of six semesters worth of work and I was completely shocked at how each project has related to what I’ve been doing as a practicing architect. It’s really like a preview of my career” –Minsuk Cho More information on Mass Studies at http://www.ma

Jorge Otero-Pailos, Professor and Director of the Historic Preservation program at Columbia GSAPP speaks with Antonio Cruz, co-founder of Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos. Cruz delivered the Paul S. Byard Memorial Lecture at the school on on February 19. They discuss Cruz y Ortiz’s renovation of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the firm’s philosophy of making contemporary adaptations that respect and incorporate the existing structures. With the expansion of the ‘Wanda Metropolitano’ Football Stadium in Madrid, also known as La Peineta, they had the opportunity to revisit their own iconic structure of 1989. “The problem is to do things in the right way … The criteria is if we are able to maintain the value of the initial building. We have to not only restore the building but introduce something of our moment, the moment that we live in.” —Antonio Cruz More information on Cruz y Ortis at https://www.cruzyortiz.com/ More information on his lecture at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/812-the-paul-s-byard-memor

Jarrett Ley, a dual degree student in the Architecture and Critical, Curatorial and Conceptual Practices programs, speaks with Colombian architect Camilo Restrepo Ochoa of AGENdA, on the occasion of his lecture at the school on February 5, 2018. They discuss the nature of architecture in the tropics and its difference from Northern forms, seen in AGENdA’s projects exhibited at the Chicago Architecture Biennial and Mexico City gallery, LIGA 25.They also touch on Colombia’s perceptions of architecture and shifting client relations. “European and Northern thought have been always about this black and white dichotomy. But the Tropic brings us a very different approach to things, which is that black and white happen at the same time. It’s a tense condition of here and now, before and after, past and present—everything happens at the same time.” —Camilo Restrepo Ochoa More information on AGENdA at https://www.agendarq.co/ More information on his lecture at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/810-agenda

James Brillon, a third-year M.Arch student at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with Adam Fure and Meredith Miller of T+E+A+M, on the occasion of their lecture at the school on January 29, 2018. They discuss how the creation and workflow of their collaborative practice, working with two other principles Thom Moran and Ellie Abrons. They also touch on their innovative use of materials, which travel between the digital and the physical. “We've come to realize the way that ideas get better when they're part of a conversation…. it was a really exciting chance do architecture projects that maybe we wouldn't individually have the capacity to do” —Meredith Miller More information on T+E+A+M at http://tpluseplusaplusm.us More information on their lecture at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/815-t-e-a-m

Luiza Furia, a first year M.Arch student at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with Mexican architect Rozana Montiel, founder of Rozana Montiel - Estudio de Arquitectura, on the occasion of her lecture on January 22, 2018. They discuss how to engage local communities, the politics of architecture, and the questions young architects should ask when taking on a project. Montiel also touches on the Albino Ortega house, and creating a space designed for reflection. “Architecture is not only the brick construction but it’s a social construction. If you don’t pay attention to people’s needs, then you’re not engaging any type of architecture…. If people engage, they feel ownership” – Rozana Montiel More information on Rozana Montiel - Estudio de Arquitectura at http://rozanamontiel.com/en/ More information on her lecture at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/814-rozana-montiel

Jarrett Ley, a current student in the Critical, Curatorial and Conceptual Practices Program at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with Indian architect Rahul Mehrotra, founder of RMA Architects, on the occasion of the Kenneth Frampton Endowed Lecture he presented on November 8, 2017. They discuss Mehrotra’s Magic Bus project, an educational campus which uses ordinary materials found in informal settlements in order to help young students feel more at ease while training away from home. Mehrotra also touches on permanence in architecture and the architect’s role as negotiator and advocate between a project’s different clients. “How do you design a house for ten years? How do you recycle everything? What’s the material geography? How does the material come in? Where does it go out? I think we talk about sustainability, but in our pedagogy it doesn’t find its way.” —Rahul Mehrotra More information on RMA Architects at http://rmaarchitects.com More information on the Kenneth Frampton Endowed Lecture at https://www.arch.

Amale Andraos, Dean of Columbia GSAPP, and Carol Becker, Dean of Columbia School of the Arts, speak with the renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei. This is the second part of a conversation recorded at a public event co-hosted by the two schools at Columbia University on October 5, 2017. “How can you be creative if you don’t have enough patience or understanding to give enough attention to what is happening? If you don’t know the meaning, it is very hard to encourage someone to be creative.” —Ai Weiwei More information on Ai Weiwei at http://aiweiwei.com The event took place on the occasion of the opening of Ai Weiwei's large-scale installation throughout New York City, "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors", organized by the Public Art Fund. More info at https://www.publicartfund.org/ai_weiwei_good_fences_make_good_neighbors

Amale Andraos, Dean of Columbia GSAPP, and Carol Becker, Dean of Columbia School of the Arts, speak with the renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei. This is the first part of a conversation recorded at a public event co-hosted by the two schools at Columbia University on October 5, 2017. "I’m kind of in love with both practices, art and architecture. It’s about a fantasy and also about a skill – to have rational, practical thinking, but also, to make it happen. It’s very important to make something happen, to add something to our lives." —Ai Weiwei More information on Ai Weiwei at http://aiweiwei.com The event took place on the occasion of the opening of Ai Weiwei's large-scale installation throughout New York City, "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors", organized by the Public Art Fund. More info at https://www.publicartfund.org/ai_weiwei_good_fences_make_good_neighbors