The divide in the field of architecture between the socially-focused practice and the formally-explorative practice remains, and perhaps grows even wider. Why are these forms of practice considered oppositional or even mutually exclusive in architecture? Is it possible to design a way of working that engages both realms simultaneously? Additionally, there has not been enough attention given to materiality as deeply philosophical, inherently social, and formally generative territory for architectural exploration. Material generators can become potential steppingstones along a spectrum of formal-driven and socially-driven architecture and aid in determining the architect’s position and self-understanding. This talk by American Architect and Harvard GSD Professor in Practice Jeanne Gang will explore key projects by her practice, Studio Gang, ranging from smaller community centers to civic buildings to larger public parks and museums that share an attention to materiality as a way of engaging both social and formal aspects of architecture.
FAIA, is the founding partner of Studio Gang, an international architecture and urban design practice headquartered in Chicago with offices in Paris, New York, and San Francisco. Known for a distinctive approach that expands beyond architecture’s conventional boundaries, she creates striking places that connect people with their communities and the natural environment. Her diverse portfolio across the Americas and Europe includes an expansion to the American Museum of Natural History; a United States Embassy in Brazil; and University of Chicago’s new Center in Paris. A MacArthur Fellow and a Professor in Practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Jeanne has been named one of TIME Magazine’s most influential people in the world. The French edition of her studio’s monograph, Studio Gang: Architecture, was published this year.