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Thom Mayne and Jeanne Gang play it safe with Heliomorphism keynotes at the GSD

2016-09-16T18:23:00-04:00

We once knew the world was flat.

We once knew earth was the center of the universe.

We once knew the sun was the center of the universe.

We once knew the Milky Way was the center of the universe.

Maybe the 3rd is not so far off in the end.

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) officially launched its new research focused arm, Office for Urbanization, with a conference titled 'Heliomorphism'. Research has a long and varied history at the GSD and of course at Harvard in general. Exploiting and creating these opportunities for collaboration and exploration of disciplinary topics are at the highest aspirations for the Office.

Its goal is thus to become a transdisciplinary initiative designed to focus the intellectual and practical capabilities of the School on a range of applied design research projects, attendant to the contemporary city. While the school itself already contains a plethora of Design Labs, Groups, Lectures and conferences, the Office of Urbanization hopes to distinguish...

The GSD vs. the sea: school's new Office for Urbanization tackles climate change in Miami Beach

2015-11-11T12:58:00-05:00

The times—specifically, the sea levels—are a changin'. Luckily, Harvard's Graduate School of Design has just launched a new initiative, the Office for Urbanization, to start amassing design research for new urban realities for cities around the world. The Office is described as being "a venue for the advancement of knowledge on the role of design research in relation to the social and environmental challenges associated with ongoing urbanization." The first project for the Office takes on the challenges facing Miami Beach.

As founding director Charles Waldheim, the John E. Irving Professor of Landscape Architecture, explained, “This foundational project of the Office for Urbanization will examine the implications of rising sea levels and increased storm events on the economy and ecology, infrastructure and identity of Miami Beach in relation to its metropolitan and regional contexts. The study will develop design strategies and scenarios to mitigate present threats and to anticipate ...