Archinect - News

Valorizing the Normal: Reflections on the 2016 AIA National Convention, ft. special guest Fred Scharmen on Archinect Sessions #65

2016-05-26T18:22:00-04:00

Donna, Ken and Fred all converged in the meatspace that was the AIA National Convention last week in Philadelphia—to explore the massive Expo floor, visit local architecture, vote on resolutions and watch those keynotes (!) by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Neri Oxman and Rem Koolhaas. Spoiler alert: Rem's was the most boring.

For more information about the resolutions up for debate at the convention, check out our episode with Gregory Walker covering unpaid internships and WTC-truthers.

And don't forget to check out our ongoing coverage of the 2016 Venice Biennale – we collaborated with the Taubman students setting up the US Pavilion, have a bunch of interviews with curators in the Features, and will soon be publishing dispatches from Venice to the News.

Listen to episode 65 of Archinect Sessions, "Valorizing the Normal":

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Due Protest: pushing back against HB-2 and fighting for interns on Archinect Sessions #64, ft. special guest Gregory Walker

2016-05-12T15:36:00-04:00

Since North Carolina passed the controversial bill known as HB-2 at the end of March—requiring transgender people to use bathrooms that coincide with the sex listed on their birth certificate, and forbidding city or county legislatures from passing counter-measures that protect against LGBT discrimination—the state has lost an estimated $40 million in business investment, and researchers project that total annual costs due to the bill could tally $5 billion. On May 9, the US Department of Justice sued North Carolina, stating that the law violated the Civil Rights Act, among others. North Carolina filed two lawsuits the same day to defend the measure.

Among the many performers and businesses that have divested from North Carolina in protest of the law, AIA's South Atlantic Region (including Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina) announced on April 25 that it would no longer hold its September conference in Wilmington. You can read their statement here.

Former AIA Georgia President...

Julia Louis-Dreyfus + Terry Gross replace Kevin Spacey as AIA keynote speakers

2016-05-12T13:15:00-04:00

Going for the obvious choice, the AIA has replaced Kevin Spacey, who had to cancel his appearance, with thespian Julia Louis-Dreyfus as its first day keynote speaker for the 2016 Philadelphia convention on May 19th. Dreyfus will be interviewed by NPR's Terry Gross. As the AIA noted on its official convention website, "In her personal life, Julia is a social activist who is passionate about climate change, water conservation, children’s education, and the power of design. Important topics that we connect with, too." Neri Oxman and Rem Koolhaas are still scheduled for keynote speakers on days two and three, respectively.

All the latest on the AIA:

Rem Koolhaas to deliver keynote on day 3 of AIA National Conference

2016-02-17T18:31:00-05:00

If you're planning to head to this year's AIA National Conference in Philadelphia, you're in for what should be a great talk: Rem Koolhaas, renowned founder and principal of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), has just been announced as the keynote speaker for the third day of the conference.

The aptly-titled talk, "Delirious Philadelphia", is described as a "a kick in the pants from Koolhaas" in the announcement. Besides riffing on the title of his seminal 1978 book, scant information on the specifics of his address is given, with organizers instead favoring copy like: "Explore your imagination and share ideas that catch fire—with inspiration from one of the world’s most visionary collaborators."

The 2016 annual AIA National Conference will be held this year from May 18-21 in a "171,000 sq ft temporary built environment" in Philadelphia. The other keynote addresses will be given by the actor Kevin Spacey and the architect Neri Oxman of MIT's Mediated Matter research group...

Keyser Söze keynote speaker at 2016 AIA convention (okay, Kevin Spacey, but still)

2016-02-11T14:50:00-05:00

What can architects learn from an award-winning producer and actor whose Netflix Original Series made appointment TV obsolete? A lot.

Kevin Spacey will be the keynote speaker for the upcoming 2016 AIA Convention in Philadelphia, partly because he is described on the AIA's website as having a "talent for disruption and drive to challenge the status quo." Disruption seems to be trendy in the architectural community of late. Apparently, "This keynote is where you learn to be a game changer from a master innovator, collaborator, and disruptor." Here's Mr. Spacey with 2015 AIA Convention keynote speaker, President Bill Clinton:

Here's what happened at the 2015 AIA Convention, as covered in person by Archinect: