June 9, 2006
Architect Frank Harmon put on a fantastic session this morning called Architects Discuss America's New Regionalism that was no doubt one of the most important events of the convention. Why's that? Because, as far as I can see, it's the only session where a bunch of architects―Rick Joy, Larry Scarpa, and Tom Kundig―actually talked to other architects about DESIGN.
I'd estimate that about 400 architects attended, and they stayed in their seats for 90 minutes. Nice, huh? Frank (the pic is of his house, courtesy his firm's website) put on a similar session when the convention was in Chicago two years ago and, same thing: packed room, a few hundred people.
Frank might not want me to say anything (because he's too nice a guy to ever bring up this kind of thing; but since I played a small part in developing the session proposal, and getting McGraw-Hill Construction and Architectural Record to sponsor it I feel entitled), but initially the proposal for this session was REJECTED by the committee responsible for the convention's programs. He pulled some strings and someone out there did recognize the value of this kind of dialogue.
The theme for this year's convention was ARCHITECTURE ON THE EDGE; maybe a discussion on regionalism wasn't edgy enough, but C'MON! We can't forget that at these events we need inspiration and must discuss design. It can't all be about risk management, etc. Anyway, kudos to this panel for a great session, and to Frank for sticking to his guns.
Charles Linn, FAIA
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