On Tuesday, September 12 at 6:30 pm, the Syracuse University School of Architecture will present “Obsessions,” a lecture at Van Alen Institute by Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, Shanghai. The lecture is the second installation of the Robbins Lecture—an annual endowed lecture held in New York City, established in honor of Mark Robbins (M.Arch ’82), dean of the School, from 2004-2012. The event promises to provide a unique opportunity to hear from two of the world’s most influential and talented architects and designers.

Says Dean Michael Speaks, “Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu are among the most talented designers working anywhere in the world today. Their work, which ranges from product and graphic design to architecture, is helping to define a new model for young design practices. They are truly inspirational, and we are very fortunate to have them deliver the Robbins Lecture this semester.”

Neri&Hu Design and Research Office was founded in 2004 by Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu.  In 2017 they were finalists and winners of numerous Architizer A+ and ArchDaily Awards; EDIDA Elle Deco International Design Awards Designers of the Year; Designers of the Year by Wallpaper* in 2014; and were inducted into the U.S. Interior Design Hall of Fame in 2013. The practice was selected as the 2011 INSIDE Festival Overall Winner, won AR Awards for Emerging Architecture 2010 by Architectural Review (UK), and one of the Design Vanguards in 2009 by Architectural Record (US). They are listed in Dezeen’s Hot List at #71 of the most influential designers worldwide and #35 most influential architects worldwide.

The firm works across many scales and disciplines. Recently they completed the stunning Suzhou Chapel, a floating white cube set atop a layered stack of reclaimed, textured brick situated on a beautiful lake in Suzhou, China. Neri & Hu are also the founders, owners and designers of the Design Republic Design Commune, a design gathering hub in Shanghai that hosts lectures, symposia and workshops and that also houses Neri and Hu’s renowned Design Republic flagship retail store, which features Shanghai’s best curated collection of furniture, books, lighting and fashion products.

“Although our practice is based in Shanghai,” said Neri and Hu, “we are purposefully set up to respond to the global nature of our contemporary cultural context. The city changes constantly, not unlike New York, and our location forces us to be alert, perceptive, and agile; ready for anything, anywhere. Our practice is intentionally interdisciplinary—from architecture to interiors, product to graphic design—more than the varied skill sets, it is about the fluidity of moving between the disciplines.”

They continue, “It is quite appropriate that we are speaking in this special lecture series in honor of Mark Robbins, an advocate of interdisciplinary approach to architectural investigation in our cities. We wish that the fluidity found in our works and the varied disciplines that we engage within architecture will be relevant not only in our own region but also find resonance in cities around the world.”

When
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
6:00 pm: Doors open
6:30 pm: Lecture begins 

Where Van Alen Institute, 1st Floor
30 W. 22nd Street
New York, NY