Archinect - News

Moody Nolan CEO Jonathan Moody delivers hopeful TED Talk on the power of design

2020-12-16T11:08:00-05:00

Moody Nolan CEO Jonathan Moody, AIA, NCARB, NOMA, LEED AP, delivered a hopeful TED Talk at a TEDxKingLincolnBronzeville event back in October. Moody begins the talk with a confession — that designers have failed citizens in the community and that designers have been complicit in allowing systemic challenges to be introduced in underrepresented communities.

Previously published on Archinect: A Conversation with Curtis Moody, FAIA on What It Means to Help Shape a Future for Black Architects

Moody uses the design of the Martin Luther King Branch Library of the Columbus Metropolitan Library as a backdrop for his case that design is a vehicle for hope and a tool for protest. Citing Dr. Martin Luther Kinf Jr., the architect argues that buildings should be places where people can connect to resources to build a better future. Spaces with public internet access, affordable childcare, and education, are some of the examples Moody presents.

Check out the full talk below.

Architects install transnational pink seesaws at U.S.-Mexico border wall

2019-07-31T14:25:00-04:00

It may seem like an ordinary scene: Children and adults playing on pink seesaws, carelessly laughing and chatting with each other But this is a playground unlike any other. These custom-built seesaws have been placed on both sides of a slatted steel border fence that separates the United States and Mexico.

The binational Teetertotter Wall intervention, connecting Sunland Park, New Mexico with Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, is the brainchild of Ronald Rael, a professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, and Virginia San Fratello, an associate professor of design at San José State University.

View this post on Instagram One of the most incredible experiences of my and @vasfsf’s career bringing to life the conceptual drawings of the Teetertotter Wall from 2009 in an event filled with joy, excitement, and togetherness at the borderwall. The wall became a literal fulcrum for U.S. - Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side. Amazing thanks to everyone who made this event possible like Omar Rios @colectivo.chopeke for collaborating with us, the guys at Taller Herrería in #CiudadJuarez for their fine cra...

Bjarke Ingels' recent TED Talk discusses architectural forms of the future, the LEGO House, and plans to face climate change with architecture

2019-06-05T14:30:00-04:00

Whether you're a fan or not of the influential Danish architect, Bjarke Ingels has designed some of the most distinct architectural structures. Aiming to push the limits of structural design through materials and sustainability approaches, Ingels spoke at a recent TED conference in April sharing his team's most recent projects, discussed the LEGO House, and his plan for future forms in architecture.

With his most recent project teetering on ambitious design approaches and utopian plans, Ingels shares his approach to Floating Cities with the audience. He speaks of creating sustainable cities that can adapt to climate change by designing buoyant modular "coastal additions," each having their own unique coastal landscape. As ambitious as this may sound, Ingels' focus and enthusiastic approach to these human-made ecosystems excited the crowd and provided a sense of possibility.

"...if the whole world woke up tomorrow and became carbon-neutral over night, there are still island nation...

The architecture of death and dying

2018-12-26T17:09:00-05:00

The idea of death and dying is a rather bleak subject. Many avoid discussion of the matter at all costs, while others plan to prolong its advancement as years pass. However, regardless of one's preconceived notions, death is a necessary part of life. Yet, perhaps our relationship and understanding of death can be changed with the help of architecture. Alison Killing, of Killing Architects, explains that "where we die is a key part of how we die." Her work as an architect and urban designer has allowed her to explore the notion of death and how architecture and urban strategy can help the general public understand the relationship between death and architecture.

First room within Killing's Death in Venice exhibition Image © A. Molenda

In 2014, Killing spearheaded a project for the Venice Architecture Biennale called Death in Venice. Through the project, she dissected the architectural timeline of hospitals, hospices, cemeteries, and crematoriums to highlight how space is allocated fo...

John Cary's recent TED Talk champions dignity in design and diversity in the profession

2018-02-13T20:29:00-05:00

John Cary, author of "Design for Good", recently gave a TED Talk, "How architecture can create dignity for all", emphasizing dignity in design and championing greater diversity in the architecture profession.

Cary explains, “Dignity is to design, what justice is to law, and health is to medicine. It’s about having your value reflected in the spaces and places that you inhabit.”

If you missed it, also check out Archinect's previous conversation with John Cary on Archinect Sessions for an in depth discussion on dignity in design.

NYC chief city planner Amanda Burden on public space and densification

2014-04-21T13:07:00-04:00

If there is any one lesson that I have learned in my life as a city planner, it is that public spaces have power. It's not just the number of people using them, it's the even greater number of people who feel better about their city just knowing that they are there. Public space can change how you live in a city, how you feel about a city, whether you choose one city over another, and public space is one of the most important reasons why you stay in a city.

Amanda Burden served as New York City's chief planner under Mayor Bloomberg, leading such revitalization projects as the High Line and Brooklyn's waterfront. You can watch the full TED talk below, or read the complete transcript here.