Archinect - Features

The Longevity & Legacy of the 'Vanilla Architect': How a Monoculture Yields Cycles of Unconscious Bias, Tokenism, and System Justification

2024-08-20T15:18:00-04:00

This Op-Ed explores how unconscious bias of mentors, tokenism, and resultant patterns of system justification reinforce a status quo that marginalizes women and people of color. These complex and long-lived dynamics are unpacked through personal anecdotes, historical analysis, and contemporary research. By examining repeating organizational behaviors, we can better discuss the barriers that women and people of color face within the industry. I hope that the anecdotes act as a lens to another perspective to those without these experiences and give voice to those with similar.

Echoes and Requiems: Reflecting on the Legacy of Woodbury University School of Architecture in San Diego

2024-06-21T01:48:00-04:00

In the summer of 2006, I received a call from my friend and colleague Catherine Herbst, who had recently become the head of Woodbury University School of Architecture in San Diego (WUSD) following the departure of the previous chair, Geraldine Forbes, to New Mexico. During our conversation, Herbst shared a memorable detail: "I have a list in front of me of people I need to hire and people I want to hire." This moment marked the beginning of my tenure as an instructor at WUSD. The school was established in 1998 at Liberty Station, which was formerly the Naval Training Center in San Diego. It had recently relocated to a converted bank building in downtown San Diego, marking a significant transition from its original location. This move positioned the school in a more central urban setting, enhancing its accessibility and presence within the city.

The Cooper Union Promotes Russian Architecture. Why?

2023-01-21T08:00:00-05:00

This month, the School of Architecture at The Cooper Union in New York City is scheduled to open an extensive exhibition on Russian architecture. Vkhutemas: Laboratory of the Avant-Garde, 1920–1930 is the title of a show presenting what is loosely known as the "Soviet Bauhaus." Undoubtedly, it's an essential part of the Russian architectural legacy worthy of attention. But not now. I would have been first in line ten years ago to see the exhibit, but not today. To support Russian architecture now is simply tone-deaf. I believe the Cooper Union should terminate this exhibition and put a pause on its courses on Soviet and Russian architecture. Here is why.

It’s Time To Consider the Refugee Camp as a City — And Here’s Why

2022-12-09T09:00:00-05:00

With the horizon of increased global instability closer than ever, whereby the scales of political balance can be so quickly tipped and toppled, questions relating to the rights of displaced peoples in refugee camps are both pertinent and vital. Yet, since refugee camps are becoming increasingly ‘urban’ in terms of scale, population density, social processes, and physical manifestation through schools, clinics, roads, and infrastructure, the questions surrounding refugee camp design and camp dwellers’ rights inherently become architectural and urban matters.

The Revival of Human-Centered Architecture

2022-11-10T08:23:00-05:00

For too long, we have incessantly glorified freshly-poured concrete Romanesque columns and marveled over crumpled-paper-inspired museums. This isn’t real architecture. The real architecture that is worth observing, touching, feeling, admiring, studying, critiquing, and understanding is the one that lives in the unassuming shadows. The type made for ordinary people with ordinary lives; one that seeks not to occupy the cover of architectural digest, but to improve the lives of those who have been marginalized, under-designed-for or forgotten. Architecture where the artist fought for a little more sunlight, a little more fresh air—a little more space to plant a tiny tree that blossoms during gloomy, winter days, inspiring hope where it was seemingly lost. It is these artists and these battles that need our acknowledgement, our praise, and our motivation so that they may continue to design a better world.

Incorporating Culture Into Design: How Lessons Learned From Tribal Clients Shaped the Architecture of the Choctaw Nation Headquarters

2022-10-10T14:13:00-04:00

As architects, we are charged with creating spaces that not only meet our clients' functional needs but also present an aesthetic that embodies who the client is and what matters to them. When determining that aesthetic, a client's culture often becomes a key consideration. And while it may be tempting these days to rely on Google searches about the history of a certain heritage to save time, the most successful designers that incorporate culture respectfully and artfully take the time to listen and learn directly from their clients as they begin each new project.

Op-Ed: A Unique Moment for Landscape Architects

2022-09-21T13:38:00-04:00

I recently joined American Society of Landscape Architects President Eugenia Martin, FASLA, and hundreds of other global leaders in landscape architecture in Gwangju, South Korea, at the International Federation of Landscape Architects World Council Meeting. IFLA represents landscape architects worldwide, with 77 member associations globally, including ASLA in the United States.

The time together was a reaffirmation that the global community of landscape architects share goals to promote and diversify the profession, set high professional standards, and exchange knowledge and best practices across cultures and communities.

Architecture is lost at sea. And that may be a good thing.

2022-05-03T16:55:00-04:00

It is fully lame to say that “times have changed.” Because time is change.

I have made things for 45 years. In some places the work has been lauded, but others have decried what I do as traditionally lame or insensitively modern.

This mutually exclusive disdain makes sense to me. These varied results are due to the reality that beauty is both universally felt and individually perceived, and it has nothing to do with “style.”

Design, Incorporated; Unpacking the Myths of the SCI-Arc Panel

2022-04-20T10:58:00-04:00

At one point during the recent SCI-Arc panel discussion, “How to be in an office,” students were presented with a choice. They were presented, on one hand, Design Firms, and on the other hand, Corporate Firms. The ensuing discussion went on to describe the choice as inspiration and passion vs. a paycheck.

It’s not an either/or proposition. That’s a myth.

Architecture Gave Me a Black Eye: A Note to Architectural Educators

2021-11-19T08:32:00-05:00

I was eight years old when I entered my first slave quarter—that was the first time architecture hit me. It was the first time that I can recall thinking about spaces that dictated where my race belonged. But, more than anything, the hit was mostly a surprise, and I questioned if something so much older and so much larger than me was allowed to hit me. Was I, in turn, supposed to fight back?

While I do not blame the building, I do, in fact, blame the education responsible for curating that experience. I can only imagine the difference felt if this field trip was anchored by discussions about inequality and self-worth, rations and resourcefulness, or degradation and fortitude. Instead, I spent my time on the plantation that day trying to figure out if I would have been a field slave or a house slave. In that moment, what everyone failed to realize was that whether they recognized it or not, the slave quarters were also telling my white classmates where they belonged. And just like ...

Transforming Climate Pessimism Into Resilient Design Action

2021-10-01T08:48:00-04:00

Like in so many places across the US, summer of 2021 was announced by the symphonic celebration of cicadas that, for seventeen long years, were patiently colluding within the earth’s caverns before proclaiming their virtuosity in our parks and green spaces. The cicadas that have made so much noise, literally with their raucous reaching up to 100 decibels, and figuratively as they managed to capture a sensational buzz across various news media, are part of the largest generation of periodic cicadas known as Brood X. The next time we will see these winged torpedoes will be in 2038. By then, the world will look very different.

Form Follows Fascism Redux

2021-01-07T12:43:00-05:00

This country’s deeply ingrained white supremacy and the resurgence of fascism have revealed themselves, last night, to be undeniably mutually reinforcing. When this antidemocratic and racist president was first elected I wrote here about The White Flight from American Democracy. I could not have imagined it would go so far as a mob storming the Capitol with matching red hats and corporate logos for flags. In the first few weeks of the administration, I outlined some of the ways that our field has been complicit in the rise of autocracy both here and around the world.

Black MD’s, Lawyers…and Architects; Part 1

2020-11-20T13:45:00-05:00

In the eyes and minds of Black America the two professions of medicine and law sit at the apex of respect, envy, and essentiality – as well they should. In my book, African American Architects: Embracing Culture and Building Urban Communities, 2020 (and several published summarizing articles) I alluded cryptically to the issue of Black architects and our subconscious wish that Black America (and particularly Black youth) see our profession as being as equally essential and prestigious as they see the medical and legal professions. I wish to explore here whether this is a viable aspiration.

Are the Doors Closing on the Open Office?

2020-11-17T18:59:00-05:00

As workers return to their offices after the regional lockdowns implemented to stop the spread of Coronavirus, there is a new reckoning in the workplace: Will the open office survive?

The City is dead! Long live the City!

2020-11-12T11:52:00-05:00

I was recently one of a party in a hot air balloon floating serenely over the Serengeti when it developed a leak and began to descend towards a crocodile infested swamp. There was no other option – someone in the basket had to go and, fearing that if I confessed to being a spatial designer it would be me, I claimed to be a heart surgeon. As it happened, we chucked a couple of quantity surveyors to the crocodiles and, thereby slowing our decent, the remainder of the group was able to land safely and later recount the tale over dinner.

Op-Ed: The Future of Zoning in New York City

2020-10-02T09:08:00-04:00

It is evident that architecture and design, like most industries, is in a state of flux. From how offices are conceptualized to the way our cities are built, the global COVID-19 health crisis and the current social justice movement will bring about immense change in New York City. With over 40 years of zoning experience, I foresee the following changes in the coming years: outer borough multi-use development; increased height allowances in low- and mid-scale development; preserving historic buildings instead of entire neighborhoods to make way for more development; and the ULURP process becoming increasingly difficult.

Build Something Big! One Million New Affordable Housing Units, 2020-2030

2020-09-04T17:34:00-04:00

The USA has an ever-growing affordable housing problem. For Black Americans, however, this problem has been a chronic condition that desperately requires a solution. As DC-based architect and author Melvin L. Mitchell discusses in this op-ed, the work needed to fix this must involve Black individuals from every aspect of the building industry.

This essay references the second part of Melvin L. Mitchell's recently published book African American Architects: Embracing Culture and Building Urban Communities. Mitchell asserts that African American architects must catalyze a Black controlled housing industry and develop/build one million affordable new houses over next ten years.

It's a Great Time to Invest in the Maintenance of Public Lands

2020-07-27T13:11:00-04:00

Last month, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass an amended version of the Great American Outdoors Act (S.3422), legislation originally introduced in the House of Representatives under a different name by the recently departed, legendary Congressman John Lewis. The bill — which passed in the House last and will now head to the desk of the president for his signature into law — would secure $900 million annually in permanent, dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, as well as money to tackle the $12 billion backlog of deferred maintenance for our National Parks, National Forests and other public lands. According to advocacy group Preservation Action, about 43% of the backlog includes valuable historic structures, too.

What Will Airports Look Like Post-COVID-19?

2020-07-14T13:37:00-04:00

Airports are the cathedrals of the 21st century – a physical space that reflects cultural, historical and sociological trends, while ushering millions of people to their respective destinations. Airports and their host cities continue to evolve and improve at a rapid pace. This has only intensified amid recent events. Cities are anticipating future needs and public health requirements – and airports are considered a part of the solution.

This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land—COVID-19’s Impact on Indian Country

2020-07-03T14:45:00-04:00

As we prepare for the 4th of July holiday, we take this time to honor our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers. We reflect on what our relations fought for—these Indigenous lands which were stolen and used to create massive amounts of wealth for a privileged few, creating what we now call the United States of America. We acknowledge that not only do Native Americans serve in our armed forces at higher rates than any other demographic to date—we are also one of the most hard-hit communities during the coronavirus pandemic. For Indian Country, the problem is more than a lack of supplies and an overwhelmed health care system. A housing crisis is fanning the flames of a highly contagious virus, illuminating the role that housing has on our health.

Did we fight to end one form of oppression only to leave our families languishing under another?

Op-Ed: Don’t Waste A Recession

2020-05-30T09:00:00-04:00

"Your Life Must Suck."

That was the greeting I received from the CEO of a structural engineering firm during an AIA event in 2010. As the founder of an executive search + management consulting firm in the depth of a recession, I didn’t think his sentiment was unexpected - but it was profoundly wrong. Yes, many companies were in the midst of layoffs. The economy was struggling and companies were challenged to navigate the unpredictable future. My response: “Yes, many firms are downsizing. At the same time, those same firms are adding key leadership talent to propel their short- and long-term growth.” We were retained for and successfully recruited two new leaders for his company, one to run a new division and the other to establish a new office.

How will Home Designs Change in the Age of Social Distancing?

2020-04-22T12:49:00-04:00

The nature of many of our professions to conduct business and service in close proximity demands us to be confined to our homes and neighborhoods for indefinite period of time resulting in “self-isolation” or “quarantine.” What does this mean to design of homes? How will it upend the traditional meaning of our homes? What are the major social factors that will influence the homes of the future? These are some questions that will have to be addressed by architectural, interior, and landscape designers in the future. For one, our traditional view of home has indeed altered.

Let's Move the Conversation From Demolition to Creating More Affordable Housing

2020-03-10T19:53:00-04:00

At the end of February, a surprising decision by a state judge revoked the approval for the top 20 floors of 200 Amsterdam Avenue, a market-rate, luxury, residential building on the Upper West Side in New York.

The developers amassed air rights, using a zoning loophole to create a 39-sided lot. While the city clarified that these zoning lots will no longer be allowed, it nevertheless sided with the developer to challenge this ruling. Despite the zoning gerrymandering that went into the design and approval of the 52-story building, few would have imagined that after receiving the required approval from the Department of Buildings and the Board of Standards and Appeals, the developer would be asked to demolish the upper third of the building.

Milton S. F. Curry, USC Architecture Dean: Observations on Draft White House Executive Order, “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again”

2020-03-05T11:30:00-05:00

Milton S. F. Curry, Dean of the University of Southern California School of Architecture, shares his perspective on the recently proposed "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again" draft executive order.

With Peter Zumthor's LACMA in the Home Stretch, Is Los Angeles Entering its Post-Rational Phase?

2019-09-04T09:00:00-04:00

Despite vocal critical and popular outcry, Atelier Peter Zumthor's controversial Los Angeles County Museum of Art replacement project is moving full-steam ahead and is due to begin construction imminently.

LACMA Director Michael Govan recently sat in conversation with University of Southern California School of Architecture Dean Milton Curry to discuss his plans for the new museum. The plan, derided for offering less exhibition space than the current museum in an uninspiring "blob" building that some have liked to a coffee table, has prompted much head-scratching from the design community, which has shown a surprisingly reverence for the existing William L. Pereira & Associates-designed museum complex.

In an Op-Ed, architect John Southern summarizes and reflects upon the discussion between Govan and Curry and ponders if the success of the museum project signals that "L.A. has stopped being the city that dares to dream and take architecture to the limits of rationality."

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How Can Architecture Respond to the 1.5ºC Imperative?

2018-11-02T12:10:00-04:00

The recent report from the International Panel on Climate Change alters the discussion of architecture and environment. The report, released on October 11, is alarming. As the Guardian puts it “we have 12 years to limit climate catastrophe, warns U.N.” Based on discussions from the IPCC meeting in Paris in 2016, a group of scientists reviewed and summarized thousands of relevant articles to assess the relative goals of 1.5 and 2ºC increase in global average temperature, from an 1850 baseline. It suggests that immediate action is needed—on reducing carbon emissions, on removing carbon from the atmosphere—to keep warming to 1.5ºC, and also warns that governments must begin preparing for social disruption from climate instability.

The Amnesias of "Make New History"

2017-09-27T10:30:00-04:00

Before there was Mies, there was Mecca. Built originally as a hotel for the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Mecca Apartments, which once occupied the site of the now-heralded IIT campus in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, served as a cultural epicenter for the city’s Black community. This was a community formed primarily by participants of what is called “the Great Migration,” one of the largest mass internal migrations in history. Between 1916 and 1970, 1.6 million people fled the American South, where they faced Jim Crow laws, racist ideology, and widespread, institutionalized murder (nearly 3,500 Black people were lynched between 1882 and 1968). But when they arrived in Chicago and other Northern cities, they were met with similar instances of racism, segregation, and violence. Places like the Mecca Apartments served as rare shelter. So when, under the guise of so-called “urban renewal,” the Mecca Apartments were slated for demolition to make room for the IIT campus,...

The Impossible Innocence of Architecture

2017-05-16T13:34:00-04:00

There are as many definitions of architecture as there are architects. It is something that will never be set in stone, and that’s a good thing. At the same time, ‘What is architecture?’ is an essential question—a question that every architect and others in the field should continue to ask themselves to, at the very least, fully assume the position they have taken on, both in their profession and in society.

Frank Gehry, Architectural Education, and the “Future of Prisons”

2017-04-12T11:20:00-04:00

Last week the Architect’s Newspaper reported that Frank Gehry, the 88-year old superstar of American architecture, is teaching a course at SCI-Arc this spring entitled “The Future of Prison.”

To denizens of architecture Twitter, which has specialized in outrage over the past several months, the news seemed like a bad April Fool’s joke. Even the course description had the tone-deaf optimism of a Silicon Valley pitch line, asking “emerging architects to break free of current conventions and re-imagine what we now refer to as ‘prison’ for a new era.”

Architecture in the Trump Era: A Report from Columbia GSAPP by A.L. Hu

2017-02-16T12:11:00-05:00

A week after taking to the streets for the Women’s March in New York City and two weeks into the spring semester, I felt restless and helpless as the barrage of outrageous news took its toll. It’s difficult to sit still in studio when it seems as if the world is beginning to morph into a reality that is at once unrecognizable in its incredulousness and intensely familiar—the beginnings of history repeating itself.