architectural record innovation conference
Photo © John O'Neill, Wikipedia
The conference will take place on May 21, 2014, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Architectural Record will bring its acclaimed Innovation Conference to Los Angeles for the first time, on May 21. L.A.—a city known for blurring the boundaries between urbanism, architecture, and landscape—is the perfect place to host Breakthrough: Design at the Intersection of Art, Science & Technology. Held at the Frank Gehry–designed Walt Disney Concert Hall (2003), conference topics will range from the merging of landscape and architecture to the growing influence of Mexico’s architects, and the integration of contemporary art, technology, and design.

 

The day will kick off with a keynote talk by Jeanne Gang, founding principal of Studio Gang in Chicago. Gang will show such projects as the Arcus Social Justice Center, under construction in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the recently completed WMS Boathouse in Chicago’s Clark Park. Artist Doug Aitken and founding principal of Allied Works Architecture Brad Cloepfil will discuss their collaborations, including a house in Dutchess County, New York. Panel topics include a case study devoted to the Cornell University tech campus planned for Roosevelt Island in New York City, with Thom Mayne, Marion Weiss, and Michael Manfedi presenting their schemes for various buildings.

“Grounded: Where Architecture & Landscape Meet” will be moderated by Christopher Hawthorne, architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times and a frequent Record contributor. In the afternoon, Tatiana Bilbao, Fernando Canales, Jorge Garcia, and Michel Rojkind will talk about how a vibrant community of young practitioners in Mexico is pushing the limits of the discipline with imaginative designs. The conference will conclude with a keynote by Thomas Phifer, founder of his eponymous firm. He will discuss the ways in which he brings a commitment to sustainability and technology to his work.

Register for the Innovation Conference at: construction.com/events/2014/innovation-la.