This talk looks at a small handheld globe manufactured by the British cartographer Herman Moll in 1719. Though small in size and overtly commercial in use, the object serves as a particularly useful case study for understanding the relationship between cartography, consumerism, and certain geopolitical developments that historians have seen as president of global modernity, namely speculative capitalism—including its troubling connections to colonialism and slavery. Additionally, the talk sketches the parameters of a new line of architectural research on the history of European-supported entrepôts in Asia, Africa, and the Americas as they relate to early modern shipping networks and the formalization of the modern stock exchange in Amsterdam and London.
For almost two centuries, urbanization has been achieved by conquering land and using the natural environment as a disposable commodity. As a result, we have depleted our forests, wetlands, and soils. These effects have impacted the quality of life in urban areas, as well as the health of urban residents. And yet, the same pattern of development continues to be used, even as its negative consequences are amplified by climate change. Our forest conservation and restoration efforts, shaped by constant struggles against development, are reactive, opportunistic and ad-hoc rather than strategically planned.
The professional packaging of the design discipline - intent on creating, projecting and transforming - may overlook the pertinence and relevance of being first and foremost curious observers and empathetic listeners, capable of celebrating and recognizing what already exists.
Oscillating between the past and present, original and referent, reconstructions are historiographic representations, yet inevitably also something new. Here, the propositional practice of constructing (and reconstructing) history is intimately linked to how we address challenges of the present. Drawing on diverse practices of reconstruction in fields from architecture and landscape to geology and archaeology, Aisling O’Carroll will share research and speculative design studies from her practice to explore the politics, truth, and affective nature of reconstruction and representation in framing knowledge and ideas of landscape.
This is the second in a series of panel sessions launching the fourth volume of Bracket, titled Takes Action. Bracket [Takes Action] collects essays and projects that question how actions can be designed, accommodated for, and encouraged through both creative practice and design citizenship.
We spend more time indoors due to COVID-19—limiting social contact to reduce disease transmission. Even before this era of quarantine, 80% or more of our time as a society was spent indoors. This has significant impacts on health and wellbeing. Now more than ever, attention to indoor environmental quality and how it affects people is critical to architectural design and building operation.
Strange Primitivism and Other Things’ is a conversation between Adrian Phiffer and Tei Carpenter, moderated by Hans Ibelings. It takes as its subject Phiffer’s new book ‘Strange Primitivism’, published by the Architecture Observer in June 2020.
Register to watch the Gala online on September 18!
On September 18, 2020, AZURE will host the 2020 AZ Awards Gala – an unmissable online soirée where we will fête all the finalists and announce the winners of our 10th annual AZ Awards along with special guests from around the world. We’ll also share the results of our ever-popular People’s Choice voting.
This summer, as part of our special issue "Provisions // Observing & Archiving COVID-19", The Site Magazine will host its first online event series with The Architecture Foundation, Critical Distance, BEAT, and Triennale Milano.
Rainbow Flag Agora, one of the eight floats featured in this year's TSA Virtual Pride online event
Ready to join a virtual parade? Looking to create new, inventive and unique shared spaces for community and celebration while we all do our part staying home, the Toronto Society of Architects is taking our Pride celebrations to the virtual public realm with a one-of-a-kind design challenge.
COVID19 demonstrates the need for strong local economies and resilient solutions. Urban agriculture is a productive form of green infrastructure that supports local economies, creates jobs, improves access to healthy fresh food, and provides ecosystem services. GRHC brings together urban and rooftop agriculture experts to share the benefits and challenges of urban agriculture projects at its Urban Agriculture Symposium
