United States

“I came to the conclusion that recovery from Great East Japan Earthquake should be compared to Japan’s recovery from the World War II.” —Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, Co-founder, Atelier Bow-Wow and member of ArchiAid

Architects Momoyo Kaijima and Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, co-founders of the highly regarded architectural firm Atelier Bow-Wow in Tokyo, discuss the architect's role in post-disaster revitalization, and their findings from their work in Tohoku for the last six years.

The Guggenheim celebrates Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birth year kicking off on Thursday, June 8, Wright’s 150th birthday, with a special reduced admission of $1.50. Visitors will be treated to free birthday cupcakes in the Guggenheim’s newly renovated Cafe 3, which will feature large-scale, rarely seen photographs of the museum during its construction. An actor-historian portraying Frank Lloyd Wright will be on-site engaging with visitors between 9 am and 1 pm.

Moderator: Louise Braverman, FAIA
Panel: Cynthia Davidson, James Biber, FAIA, Max Levy, FAIA
Often the first reaction to Venice is one of feeling overwhelmed by the astonishing beauty of her existence. Yet if we dig a bit deeper inherent contradictions begin to appear. How do we make rational sense of a city that floats on water? What are the features that contribute to our incredulity, and what can we learn from them? From the original muddy wilderness of the 5th century to a beguiling built environment, Venice remains 1,500 years later, a provocative paradox of visceral and visual inspiration.

What is the place of the museum in the modern city? What role does architecture play? How can these buildings be effectively interpreted?

Frank Lloyd Wright’s design for the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan broke with all existing conventions, setting a new standard for the postwar art museum and, together with the Museum of Modern Art, firmly establishing the city of New York as the cultural capital of the 20th century.

Thanks to parametric design and digital fabrication it is now possible to massproduce non-standard, highly differentiated products, from shoes and tableware to furniture and now even houses. Variety no longer compromises the efficiency and economy of production. Furthermore, parametric definitions of products’ geometry are made accessible via interactive websites to anyone, who could then design their own, unique versions of the product. Such “democratization” of design – through mass-customization – raises many interesting questions such as the authorship of design and the functional and esthetic quality of products (shoes, tableware, furniture, houses…) designed by non-designers. This symposium explores social, cultural and design implications of this emerging “design democracy”, including its technological origins.