Archinect - Features

Los Angeles Reckons with a Dark History by Asking the Public How to Memorialize the 1871 Chinese Massacre

2022-09-30T18:40:00-04:00

Architects and artists are frequently asked to contribute their ideas for proposed memorials and other works of public art. The City of Los Angeles recently issued a Request for Ideas (RFI) that many designers may find compelling at a time when America's history of race relations and violence are top of mind for many Americans.

Michael Pinto, Principal at NAC Architecture in Los Angeles, discussed the new L.A. RFI with two figures deeply involved in laying the groundwork for a new memorial to the 1871 Massacre of 18 Chinese in Los Angeles that was the largest mass killing in the city's history. Pinto, an advisor to the memorial process, spoke with Christopher Hawthorne, Chief Design Officer for the City of Los Angeles (and former L.A. Times architecture critic), and Michael Woo, an urban planner who is a former city council member and dean emeritus of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design.

Juneteenth and the Villa that Became a Legend

2021-06-19T15:18:00-04:00

Juneteenth is perhaps the oldest holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. In our recent time, many have begun to focus more deeply on the heritage and experience of Black people in the United States. A much needed shift, but for years, the Black community has been celebrating Juneteenth, remembering the jubilant day millions of oppressed people’s freedom was solidified, celebrating and acknowledging the dignity of our fellow men and women.

Civil Rights have been a crucial part of American history, and maybe more appropriately, we should say Human Rights, as the two are inextricably intertwined. As architects and designers, the recognition of every human being’s intrinsic value and worth are categorically unavoidable to our duties as facilitators and builders of spatial human experiences. But, with all that aside, what does Juneteenth have to do with architecture? Really, it doesn’t have anything to do with it. But, the culminating event that established this his...

Thoughts on Black Tokenism in Architectural Practice

2020-10-22T11:48:00-04:00

I’ve been thinking a lot about the recent outcry for social and racial justice. As a Black man, I’ve lived my own experience in this country — one filled with many blessings, but also many challenges. I want to reflect on some of those challenges, and explore some of the subtleties of being Black in a predominantly white setting — architecture. I don’t have the answers, but I do believe there is a power in story and truth to be found in narrative. This is a story, a picture into a narrative common to many in the profession, followed by some reflections. But at the same time, we know, every person has their own story to tell.