We were going to steer you toward all the great lectures coming to the University of Washington this fall but according to their website there aren’t any. So we thought we’d take a crack at the UW Department of Architecture’s fall lecture series ourselves this quarter. The focus, you ask? Mix it up a bit – get some great speakers in there who aren’t necessarily architects but could offer a remarkable knowledge base applicable to the design community. Here goes:
Cecil Balmond; quite possibly the most provocative engineer-architect on the planet.
Barry Schwarz; his ideas about human psychology and choice are more relevant than ever to our highly entitled society.
Peter Gluck; tackling the tough economy by taking on design-build in New York City and training his staff on how to be architects of the future.
Banksy; that’s right the quasi-anonymous graffiti artist from England who’s prolific style flanks cities across the globe. We’re quite serious actually – put the guy in a ski mask and get him behind the podium.
Ted Smith; architect, developer and builder from San Diego, a true master-architect.
Seth Godin; the author of “Tribes” is redefining how we work, play and interact.
Bjarke Ingels; one of the most forward thinking architects in the world – and he gives a great lecture full of personality and humor.
Richard Florida; the author of “Rise of the Creative Class” keeps an important pulse on the design-minded and social dynamics.
The Most Interesting Man in the World (according to Dos Equis); we’re not sure what he’s got to say about architecture but with his backlog of experiences, his entourage of models, his worldly confidence and his natural charm, whatever he decides to talk about should be laced with interest.
…so there you go UW. No need to thank us – a case of Pinot Nior is entirely unneccessary, put the Huskies Seasons Tickets away, membership to the Henry Art Gallery will be graciously refused. It was our pleasure.