Gsapp Conversations

Go Hasegawa speaks with Kersten Geers in this final of six conversations recorded live at the conference “Making Books Now” on September 15, 2017. The conference was co-organized by Columbia GSAPP and the Chicago Architecture Biennial on the occasion of the Biennial’s opening at the Chicago Cultural Center, and was hosted by GSAPP’s Director of Publications, James Graham. Kersten Geers, of OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, and Go Hasegawa, of Go Hasegawa and Associates, speak with one another about their respective books, The Difficult Whole (Park Books, 2016) and Conversations with European Architects (LIXIL, 2015). “If we only do the practice, of course we can be a good architect, we can make more beautiful buildings through the experience… but at the same time, we need to be kids, we need to be [dreamers]. So for that purpose the book is really important – to make a dream.” – Go Hasegawa More information about the conference: https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/743-making-books-now-columbia-gsapp-at

Sarah Dunn speaks with Keith Krumwiede in this fifth of six conversations recorded live at the conference “Making Books Now” on September 15, 2017. The conference was co-organized by Columbia GSAPP and the Chicago Architecture Biennial on the occasion of the Biennial’s opening at the Chicago Cultural Center, and was hosted by GSAPP’s Director of Publications, James Graham. Sarah Dunn, of UrbanLab, and Keith Krumwiede, speak with one another about their respective books, UrbanLab Bowling (Applied Research + Design, 2017) and Atlas of Another America (Park Books, 2016). “They are not monographs, exactly. They’re… manifestos. They’re asking a kind of ‘what if’ question: what if we used architecture, or urban planning, urban design to make a new way to live?’ – Sarah Dunn More information about the conference: https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/743-making-books-now-columbia-gsapp-at-the-chicago-architecture-biennial Sarah Dunn: http://www.urbanlab.com Keith Krumwiede: https://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/facu

David Benjamin begins this conversation with Benjamin Aranda, the fourth of six recorded live at the conference “Making Books Now” on September 15, 2017. The conference was co-organized by Columbia GSAPP and the Chicago Architecture Biennial on the occasion of the Biennial’s opening at the Chicago Cultural Center, and was hosted by GSAPP’s Director of Publications, James Graham. Benjamin Aranda, co-founder of Aranda\Lasch, and David Benjamin, founder of The Living, speak with one another about their respective books Trace Elements and Now We See Now (The Monacelli Press, 2018). “The making of a book – like the making of a building – imposes a striking finality, or decisions that one needs to commit to. I think that’s why architects love making books, because it’s almost a kind of rehearsal.” – Benjamin Aranda More information about the conference: https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/743-making-books-now-columbia-gsapp-at-the-chicago-architecture-biennial Benjamin Aranda: http://arandalasch.com David Benjamin

Tatiana Bilbao speaks with Freek Persyn in this third of six conversations recorded live at the conference “Making Books Now” on September 15, 2017. The conference was co-organized by Columbia GSAPP and the Chicago Architecture Biennial on the occasion of the Biennial’s opening at the Chicago Cultural Center, and was hosted by GSAPP’s Director of Publications, James Graham. Freek Persyn, of 51n4e, and Tatiana Bilbao, founder of Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, speak with one another about their respective books How Things Meet (Art Paper Editions, 2016) and Landscapes of Faith (Lars Müller Publishers, 2018). “But even if it’s quite an expensive investment, I think it’s worthwhile. Whether you chose investing in a car or investing in a book, maybe for your own growth it’s better to do the latter” – Freek Persyn More information about the conference: https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/743-making-books-now-columbia-gsapp-at-the-chicago-architecture-biennial Tatiana Bilbao Estudio: https://www.tatianabilbao.com 51n4e: h

Hilary Sample and Michael Meredith speak with Florian Idenburg in this second of six conversations recorded live at the conference “Making Books Now” on September 15, 2017. The conference was co-organized by Columbia GSAPP and the Chicago Architecture Biennial on the occasion of the Biennial’s opening at the Chicago Cultural Center, and was hosted by GSAPP’s Director of Publications, James Graham. Florian Idenburg, co-founder of SO-IL, and Hilary Sample and Michael Meredith, co-founders of MOS Architects, speak with one another about their respective books Order, Edge, Aura (Lars Müller Publishers, 2017) and Selected Works (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016). “One of the pleasures of doing a book is opening it up to others. ... For me, the great things out of this book were the essays by other writers, not architects … they really affected our work.” – Michael Meredith For more information about the conference: https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/743-making-books-now-columbia-gsapp-at-the-chicago-archite

Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee speak with Amale Andraos in this first of six conversations recorded live at the conference “Making Books Now” on September 15, 2017. The conference was co-organized by Columbia GSAPP and the Chicago Architecture Biennial on the occasion of the Biennial’s opening at the Chicago Cultural Center, and was hosted by GSAPP’s Director of Publications, James Graham. Amale Andraos, co-founder of WORKac with Dan Wood, and Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee, co-founders of JohnstonMarklee, speak with one another about their respective books, We’ll Get There When We Cross That Bridge (Monacelli, 2017) and House is a House is a House is a House is a House (Birkhäuser, 2016). Andraos is Dean of Columbia GSAPP, and Johnston and Lee served as curators of the Chicago Architecture Biennial. “A book is a slow medium, and architecture is a slow medium. Culture is fast, but architecture is slow. ... It’s important to take advantage of that slowness.” – Mark Lee More information about the conference: https:

Dean Amale Andraos speaks with GSAPP Associate Professor Malo Hutson, who teaches in Urban Planning and directs the school’s Urban Community and Health Equity Lab. The interdisciplinary research lab operates at the intersection of health inequalities and urban planning, and collaborates with community groups, students, and academic and professional colleagues. In this podcast, Andraos and Hutson discuss how housing and place affects residents’ health, day-to-day life, and sense of community – particularly for areas going through a neighborhood transformation. They also speak about how the benefits can be shared equitably between diverse communities as cities change, and how to move beyond the “paralysis of analysis.” “So much of the built environment impacts our everyday lives and shapes the places that we live. The fundamental piece of my work is asking how does place matter: for your health, for economic opportunities, for education, for the environment – for all those things” —Malo Hutson For more i

Andrew Nolan Davis, second-year student in the Critical, Curatorial and Conceptual Practices Program at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with Mexican Architect Frida Escobedo, whose exhibition ‘No. 9’ opened at the Arthur Ross Architectural Gallery on October 20, 2017. They discuss the tension between social and historical time, and how that can shape understandings of architecture. Escobedo also touches on her desire to reactivate forgotten spaces, such as in the Hotel Boca Chica, and how the process of making ‘No. 9’ echoed the creation of the original sculptures. “Exhibitions and biennials have allowed us to understand architecture in a very different timeframe. When you think about architecture you think about years … But with these temporary installations you get to see architecture from a different perspective, it's almost like compressing the life of architecture.” —Frida Escobedo More information on Frida Escobedo at http://fridaescobedo.net/pagina_de_inicio.html Get the full details of the exhibition at https

James Brillon, a third-year M.Arch student at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with Joe Noero of Noero Architects on the occasion of his lecture at the school on October 16, 2017. They discuss the relationship between democracy and architecture and how this is expressed in Noero’s Table House project: stacking structures that provide shack dwellers with a framework to both improve their homes and acquire skilled labor. They also consider what an architect gains from teaching, and Noero shares his advice for students: “Go where the work is. Leave America. Leave Western Europe: they’re finished. … Africa’s population is going to double in forty years time. It’s going to be the continent of the future. That’s where you should go.” More information on Noero Architects at http://www.noeroarchitects.com/ Watch the full Jo Noero lecture video at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/729-jo-noero

Columbia GSAPP student Jarrett Ley speaks with James Wines on the occasion of his lecture at the school on October 9, 2017. Wines founded SITE, an environmental art and design organization, in New York City in 1970. His architecture, landscape and public space designs have been influential for decades. The work is based on a response to surrounding contexts, and spans more than one hundred and fifty projects internationally. Wines is also a Professor of Architecture at Penn State University, and he continues to write and lecture on integrative thinking and environmental issues internationally. More information on SITE at http://www.siteenvirodesign.com/ See the full lecture video at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/727-james-wines

GSAPP faculty and alumni Justin Garrett Moore (M.Arch/MSUD '04) speaks with alumni Rosanne Haggerty (MSRED '89) on the occasion of her lecture at the school on October 2, 2017. Haggerty is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Community Solutions, an organization dedicated to building effective local housing systems and creating new models of housing and community development to prevent homelessness. Watch the lecture video at: www.arch.columbia.edu/events/725-rosanne-haggerty (http://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/725-rosanne-haggerty) More info about Community Solutions at: www.community.solutions (http://www.community.solutions)

Dean Amale Andraos speaks with Mimi Hoang and Eric Bunge, founding partners of nARCHITECTS. Hoang and Bunge are Adjunct Assistant Professors at Columbia GSAPP, where they teach Core Architecture Studios. In this episode, they discuss the need to rethink a building’s interaction with the city and its occupants, teaching students to consider typological, social, and economic units in new ways, and finding an alternative way of presenting their office in print – as a project in itself, rather than a through a series of projects – with their forthcoming book “Buildings and Almost Buildings”.  “Carmel Place is trying to reflect and respond to how we have changed — how the family structure has changed, how the demographics of cities have changed. All of that is pushing against our known assumptions of how we live. It was an extremely inspiring act to inset architecture into these much larger discussions about housing policy, zoning codes, etc., and to really insert architecture as a necessary act to respond to ch

James Brillon, third-year M.Arch student at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa of Ensamble Studio on the occasion of their lecture at the school on September 25, 2017. They discuss the firm’s recent participation in the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the need for embedding localized notions of prefabrication in the design process, and the beneficial ways in which simultaneously working in rural and urban contexts can inform and influence the other. Ensamble describe their Chicago Tribune Tower project for the biennial – the Big Bang Tower – as an opportunity to challenge the relationship between a tower’s core and shell in order to create a new typology with a permeable structural perimeter expressing urbanity: “a column of columns”. They also describe the experience of working in the expansive western landscape of Montana for the Tippet Rise Art Center, where the perception and role of the building continually changes with the light, season, and climate. Ensamble has offi

Justin Romeo, a second year Urban Planning student at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with Meng Yan of Urbanus on the occasion of his lecture at the school on September 18, 2017. They discuss the relationship between research and design in the Urbanus office, and Meng Yan's plans for the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture, which he is co-curating in Shenzhen in December 2017. URBANUS was founded in 1999 by partners Liu Xiaodu, Wang Hui and Meng Yan, and is recognized as one of the most influential architecture practices in China. The firm focuses on urban realities in their research and built projects, seeking architectural solutions to emerging urban problems. Watch the full lecture at: https://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/723-urbanus Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture: http://en.szhkbiennale.org URBANUS information: http://www.urbanus.com.cn/

Paul Makovsky of Metropolis Magazine speaks with four recent members of the GSAPP Incubator: Michelle Young, Untapped Cities; Bika Rebek, SibilaSoon; Lauren Johnson, QSPACE; and Chris Barley, Consortia. They discuss their respective projects, how these were developed during their time at the Incubator, and what is coming up next in their work.

ArchDaily's Editor-at-Large James Taylor-Foster speaks with Tomas Koolhaas prior to his screening of the film REM at Columbia GSAPP on September 7, 2017. Tomas Koolhaas, the LA-based son of Rem Koolhaas, speaks about the process of conceiving, producing, and directing the film over the course of four years.

Dean Amale Andraos speaks with GSAPP Associate Professor Laura Kurgan, who directs the school's Visual Studies curriculum and the Center for Spatial Research. Her work explores subjects ranging from digital mapping technologies to the ethics and politics of mapping, and the art, science and visualization of data. They discuss the Center for Spatial Research's recently completed Brain Index, a large-scale interactive installation for Columbia University's Mind, Brain, Behavioral Institute, as well as Kurgan's ongoing research project Conflict Urbanism: Aleppo.

Dean Amale Andraos speaks with Mark Lee of Johnston Marklee on the occasion of his lecture in GSAPP’s Arguments series in July 2017. Lee is co-curator with Sharon Johnston of the Chicago Architecture Biennial opening on September 15, 2017. In this podcast they discuss the biennial’s theme “Make New History” and the role of books in contemporary architectural practice.

We’ll be taking a break from our regular publishing schedule during the month of August, and hope that you’ll join us again in September for a new season. Upcoming episodes will feature Mark Lee, co-curator with Sharon Johnston of this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial; Laura Kurgan, director of Columbia GSAPP’s Center for Spatial Research; Anne Lacaton of the French firm Lacaton & Vassal; and legendary artist and architect James Wines, founder of the environmental arts studio SITE. Listen to this bonus episode to hear a excerpts from some of our earlier episodes with Juan Herreros, Carlos Bayod Lucini and Adam Lowe of Factum Arte, the London-based office vPPR, and Kate Orff of SCAPE.

ArchDaily's Editor-at-Large James Taylor-Foster speaks with Columbia GSAPP faculty Christoph Kumpusch, who directs the school's Core I studios. Kumpusch introduces his Extraction Lab, a new five-year project launching in August 2017 with a student summer workshop at the Burning Man festival in Black Rock Desert, Nevada.