Archinect - News

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:

"The Trumpeteers" – LACMA gets Lautner, AIA gets Spacey on Archinect Sessions #53

2016-02-18T18:27:00-05:00

We swear, no BIG or Trump on this episode. We discuss the donation of Lautner's breathtaking Sheats-Goldstein house, complete with jungle, nightclub and infinity tennis court, to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, to become the museum's first acquired piece of architecture (along with a sizable endowment for maintenance). The U.S. saw a major step forward into the realm of driverless cars, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Google that its computers in autonomous vehicles could legally be counted as drivers, while the internet ogled Nissan's self-parking office chairs.

It's also that time of year again, when the AIA announces the keynote speakers for its National Convention (check out our podcast on last year's convention in Atlanta), and this year's threw us for a loop – first, actor Kevin Spacey was named as Day 1 speaker, and praised for his "disruption" of "appointment television". Neri Oxman will give the Day 2 keynote, a very solid choice if not somew...

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: