en aarono29@pratt.edu Copyright 2012 2012-02-08T22:36:37+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/pratt_manhattan_gallery_to_present_new_sculpture_tableware_and_lightin/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/pratt_manhattan_gallery_to_present_new_sculpture_tableware_and_lightin/#When:21:36:37Z Pratt Manhattan Gallery will present "Bright Future: New Designs in Glass," an exhibition of sculpture, tableware, and lighting designs by American and international artists and firms that explore issues of sustainability, the manipulation of light, and the contrast of ancient and modern influences in contemporary glass from February 10 through May 5, 2012 at 144 West 14th Street, Second Floor. The signature qualities of glass--its flexibility, clarity, complex cultural history and ability to magnify and direct light--are all at play in the works exhibited.The exhibition, which is guest-curated by Sarah Archer, chief curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, will be celebrated with an opening reception on Thursday, February 9 from 6 to 8 PM. The exhibition and opening reception are free and open to the public.                   "Bright Future" is timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the development of studio art glass in America. To celebrate this milestone  and recognize the many talented glass artists in this country, more than 160 glass demonstrations, lectures, and exhibitions will take place in museums, galleries, art centers, universities, organizations, festivals, and other venues across the United States throughout 2012. "Recent innovations have made it possible for glass to look and behave in unexpected ways," said Archer. "Each object in 'Bright Future' was selected because it demonstrates either a recent development in glass technology or a new twist on a recognizable and ancient technique such as casting or glassblowing. The exhibition will inspire viewers to look twice at an ancient material whose second life is still unfolding," she added.   Combining a traditional technique with a high-tech material, Werner Aislinger's Mesh Vases are created by blowing glass into a heat-resistant fiber mesh, leaving a distinctive pattern on the surface of the glass. New materials such as Litracon (concrete that is made transparent with the addition of glass), the touch-sensitive face of the iPhone, or the heat-sensitive and "switchable" glass that changes color or opacity when touched or turned on and off present designers and architects with intriguing solutions to design challenges and allow them to avoid the use of plastics or other unsustainable supplies. Pratt Industrial Design alumnus Tom Patti (B.I.D. '67 and M.I.D. '69), Alison Berger, and Helen Lee harness the unique ability of glass to direct and amplify light, according to Archer. Their installations invite viewers to experience a real-time optical effect that cannot be replicated in a photograph. James Carpenter's plans for the proposed Moynihan Station in Manhattan demonstrate the use of glass as an architectural element capable of creating "light interactions" in interior public spaces. Several of the designers featured in the exhibition mine glass's rich history and reinterpret the elaborate aesthetic of 17th- and 18th-century European glass. Liana Yaroslavsky's Maure de Venise coffee table encases a deep purple chandelier based on a fixture by Seguso inside a sleek, minimalist plexiglass shell. Similarly, Ingo Maurer's Luester light glows with 287 white LEDs arranged in the shape of a multi-tiered chandelier and sandwiched between two flat pieces of glass. The full list of participating artists and firms includes:Lindsey Adelman Studio, New York, USA Werner Aisslinger and CIAV, Meisenthal, France  Omer Arbel for Bocci, Vancouver, Canada Alison Berger, Los Angeles, USA Amiram Biton, Israel James Carpenter Design Associates, New York, USA Marco Dessí for J. & L. Lobmeyr, Vienna, AustriaGlasPro, California, USA  Helen Lee, California, USA Aron Losonczi/Litracon, Hungary Ingo Maurer, Munich, Germany and New York, USA  Giovanni Moretti for Carlo Moretti srl, Murano, Venice, Italy  Moving Color, California, USA  Bruce Munro, United Kingdom  Tom Patti, Massachusetts, USA  Robert Stadler, Paris, FranceSWITCH Lighting, California, USAHulger and Samuel Wilkinson, London, United Kingdom  Liana Yaroslavsky, Paris, France Before becoming chief curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Archer was director of Greenwich House Pottery and curatorial assistant at the Museum of Arts and Design. Her writing has appeared in the Journal of Modern Craft, American Craft, Artnet, Ceramics: Art and Perception, Hand/Eye, Modern Magazine, and The Huffington Post. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Swarthmore College and a master of arts degree from the Bard Graduate Center. Add Pratt Manhattan Gallery on Facebook and follow Pratt exhibitions on Twitter.  "Bright Future: New Designs in Glass"February 10--May 5, 2012Pratt Manhattan Gallery144 West 14th Street, Second FloorGallery Hours: Tuesday--Saturday 11 AM--6 PMImage captions clockwise from left: Branching Bubble Light by Lindsey Adelman Studio; Girtab by Giovanni Moretti for Carlo Moretti; Maure de Venise table by Liana Yaroslavsky; Litracon by Aron Losonczi; Mesh Vases by Werner Aisslinger & CIAV Meisenthal; Basket Chandelier by Marco Dessi for J. & L. Lobmeyr; Z Table by Tom Patti (B.I.D. '67 and M.I.D. '69); and Plumen 001 energy-saving bulb by Hulger and Samuel Wilkinson, photo by Andrew Penketh. MEDIA CONTACT: Kate Unver at 718-230-6847 or kunver@pratt.edu 2012-02-08T21:36:37+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/school_of_architecture_presents_spring_lecture_series/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/school_of_architecture_presents_spring_lecture_series/#When:15:24:36Z Pratt Institute's undergraduate and graduate architecture programs will present their spring 2011 School of Architecture Lecture Series (SALS) from February 13 through April 9, 2012, at the Institute's Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses. The lectures are free and open to the public; however, seating priority will be given to current students with Pratt identification.The following lectures will take place at 6 PM at Higgins Hall Auditorium at 61 St. James Place in Brooklyn unless otherwise noted.Monday, February 13 - Ursula von RydingsvardMonday, February 20 - Peter Eisenman in Conversation with Catherine IngrahamThursday, February 23 - Craig DykersThursday, March 1 - Theoharis David with Introduction by Lebbeus WoodsMonday, March 5 - Craig SchwitterThursday, March 29 - Tracie Morris (12:30 PM)Thursday, March 29 -  Erik Ghenoiu, Catherine Ingraham, Maria Sieira, and Meredith TenHoor on Occupy Wall StreetMonday, April 9 - Farshid Moussavi Sculptor Ursula von Rydingsvard will deliver a lecture on Monday, February 13. She is best known for creating large-scale sculptures from cedar beams that she cuts, assembles, and laminates, rubbing powdered graphite into the work's textured, faceted surfaces. Von Rydingsvard's work has been included in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, all in New York. Von Rydingsvard, who was recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and two National Endowment for the Arts awards, received her master of fine arts degree from Columbia University. For more information, please visit: http://www.ursulavonrydingsvard.net/Internationally renowned architect, educator, and author Peter Eisenman will speak with Catherine Ingraham, a professor in the graduate architecture and urban design program, on Monday, February 20. Eisenman is known for his award-winning large-scale housing and urban design projects, innovative facilities for educational institutions, and inventive private houses. He has been recognized with the Medal of Honor from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture, and a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2004 Venice Architecture Biennale. Eisenman is currently the Charles Gwathmey Professor in Practice at Yale University's School of Architecture. For more information, please visit: http://www.eisenmanarchitects.com/Architect Craig Dykers, who has worked on such projects as The Alexandria Library, Egypt; the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, Oslo; and the National September 11th Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center site, New York, will deliver a lecture on Thursday, February 23. Dykers is co-founder of the architecture, landscape, and interior design company Snohetta, which is based in Oslo and has a satellite office in New York. The Dykers lecture is an Arnold Syrop (B. Arch. '61) and Joanne Syrop Annual Lecture, part of a lecture series endowed by The Selz Foundation. For more information, please visit: http://www.snoarc.no/#/main/Architect, alumnus, and longtime Pratt Architecture Professor Theoharis David, FAIA, will deliver a lecture on Thursday, March 1. The lecture, which will be introduced by visionary architect Lebbeus Woods, will reflect on David's 43 years as a teacher through the work of his former students, many of whom have gone on to become accomplished architects and teachers. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception for "Built Ideas: A Life of Teaching, Learning, and Action," an exhibition of models, photos, and concept drawings by David that will be on view at The School of Architecture through March 30. For more information, please visit: http://www.tdanyc.com/Craig Schwitter, a leader in the engineering design of complex buildings and large-scale developments and founder of the first North American office of Buro Happold Consulting Engineers, will deliver a lecture on Monday, March 5. His work includes educational, performing arts, cultural, civic, stadia, transportation, and master planning projects. With a focus on integrated engineering and the use of appropriate technology, Schwitter has played a hands-on role in ensuring the high quality in Buro Happold's projects and breakthrough innovations on recent high profile engineering commissions with the firm. For more information, please visit: http://www.burohappold.com/Tracie Morris, a poet, performer, and associate professor in Pratt's Humanities and Media Studies department, will deliver the annual Christina Porter Art and Poetry in the Schools lecture on Thursday, March 29 at 12:30 PM. Morris works extensively as a singer, sound artist, writer, bandleader, and actor. Her installations have been presented at the Whitney Biennial, Ronald Feldman Gallery, the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, and the New Museum. She holds a master of fine arts degree in poetry from Hunter College and master of arts and doctoral degrees in performance studies from New York University. The annual lecture honors Christina Porter, the late daughter of Pratt Adjunct Professor of Architecture Brent Porter. For more information, please visit: http://traciemorris.com/Four professors from Pratt's graduate architecture and urban design program (GAUD) will focus their theoretical lenses on Occupy Wall Street on Thursday, March 29 as part of the GAUD History/Theory Conference. The professors include Erik Ghenoiu, Catherine Ingraham, Maria Sieira, and Meredith TenHoor. Ghenoiu's interests are in the architecture, design, and urban planning of the 19th and 20th centuries, with a particular focus on Germany and the United States. Ingraham has authored over 50 articles on architectural theory and history published in academic journals, book collections, and other publications. Sieira is founder of Xoguete Architecture, a firm that practices architecture and engages in design research. TenHoor has lectured widely about infrastructure and design planning in urban environments and is currently writing a history of architecture and biopolitics in food markets of Paris. Farshid Moussavi, an internationally acclaimed architect and professor of architecture at Harvard University, will speak on Monday, April 9. As founder and principal of Farshid Moussavi Architecture, she is working on a wide range of prestigious international projects integrating architecture, urbanism, and landscape design, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, and a Quran Museum in Tehran. For more information, please visit: http://www.farshidmoussavi.com/flash/index.html  The following lectures will take place at 6:30 PM at Pratt's Manhattan campus located at 144 West 14th Street, second floor, room 213. Wednesday, February 29 - What's Shaking the City? Seismic Design in NYDr. Sissy Nikolaou, PE, senior associate, Mueser Rutledge EngineersTuesday, March 20 - Real Life/Real Time Dispute ResolutionJoel Sciascia, general council, Pavarini McGovernFriday, March 23 - Brownfield ReclamationDan Walsh, director, NYC Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation; and Jody Koss, New Partners for Community RevitalizationFriday, March 30 - Unlocking the Green Opportunity in New York's Old Buildings Lisa Kersavage, senior director, Preservation and Sustainability; Municipal Art SocietyFriday, April 20 - Riverside Center (Part 3)Brian Cook, director of planning, Office of Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President  Thursday, April 19 - Disaster Mitigation - Protecting BuildingsChristopher Marrion, PE, FSFPE, Marrion Consulting  Past School of Architecture lecturers have included Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Will Alsop, Bob Crane, Lawrence Feldman, and Michael Ratner. For more information on the series, please visit http://www.pratt.edu/academics/architecture/architecture/lectures/  MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Aronoff at 718-636-3554 or aarono29@pratt.edu 2012-02-08T15:24:36+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/design_innovator_todd_oldham_to_speak_on_legendary_designer_alexander_/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/design_innovator_todd_oldham_to_speak_on_legendary_designer_alexander_/#When:19:24:44Z Design innovator Todd Oldham will speak on legendary designer Alexander Girard, whose distinctive career is celebrated in a new monograph by Oldham and writer Kiera Coffee, at Pratt Institute at 6 PM on Tuesday, February 14, in Higgins Hall Center Section Auditorium at 61 St. James Places (corner of Lafayette) in Brooklyn. The lecture with Oldham is free and open to the public; however, seating priority will be given to Pratt students with valid ID at 5:30 p.m. Members of the public will be admitted at 5:50 p.m. should seating be available.              Oldham and Coffee created Alexander Girard (Ammo Books, 2011) as the ultimate tribute to the designer's work and career. The 672-page book covers virtually every aspect of Girard's distinctive career. As one of the most prolific and versatile mid-20th century designers, Girard's work spanned many disciplines, including textile design, graphic design, typography, illustration, furniture design, interior design, product design, exhibit design, and architecture. Girard's repertoire includes an incredible list of projects, including his bold, colorful, and iconic textile designs for Herman Miller (1952-1975), his typographic designs for La Fonda del Sol restaurant (1960), his celebrated retail store Textiles and Objects (1961), his own Girard Foundation (1962) that houses his extensive, personal collection of folk art from around the world, and his complete branding and environmental design for Braniff International Airways (1965). Distinguished as an innovator of accessible design, Oldham is the founder of Todd Oldham Studio, a full-service design firm. Originally a New York fashion designer and host on MTV's "House of Style," Oldham's career has evolved to include all areas of design from interior design, film, and photography, to furniture, graphic art, and product design. Oldham is also the author of several books, including Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life (Ammo Books, 2007), Kid Made Modern (Ammo Books, 2009), Hand Made Modern (Harper Design, 2005), Joan Jett (Ammo Books, 2010) and Wayne White: Maybe Now I'll Get the Respect I So Richly Deserve (Ammo Books, 2009). The Oldham lecture is an Anna and Joseph Syrop Annual Lecture endowed by the Selz Foundation, part of an annual series of lectures given by individuals in interior design.  Members of the press should contact Amy Aronoff to reserve seating. Event seating for press is limited and credentials will be required upon arrival.From left to right: Design innovator Todd Oldham and his new book on legendary designer Alexander Girard (co-authored by Kiera Coffee). Photos: Courtesy of Todd Oldham Studios.   MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Aronoff at 718.636.3554 or aarono29@pratt.edu  ON-SITE MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Aronoff at 716.698.5919 2012-02-06T19:24:44+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/pratt_to_present_two_public_exhibitions_on_the_work_of_renowned_archit/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/pratt_to_present_two_public_exhibitions_on_the_work_of_renowned_archit/#When:14:15:18Z Pratt Institute will celebrate renowned architect, alumnus, and longtime Pratt Architecture Professor Theoharis David, FAIA, with two exhibitions in 2012. Pratt's School of Architecture will present "Built Ideas: A Life of Teaching, Learning, and Action," an exhibition of David's models, photos, and concept drawings, from March 2 through March 30, 2012, at the Hazel and Robert H. Siegel Gallery at 61 Saint James Place in Brooklyn. From February 17 through September 28, 2012, Pratt's Department of Exhibitions will present "An Architect Drawing," an exhibition of drawings and texts from David's architectural experiences at The President's Office Gallery, Main Building, 200 Willoughby Avenue.                        In addition to his work at Pratt, David, an American of Cypriot descent, is a visiting professor at the University of Cyprus and design principal of his own firm, Theo. David Architects TDA+KAL, located in both New York City and in Nicosia, Cyprus. As design principal, he has been responsible for the design of sports stadiums, educational and medical facilities, religious structures, extensive residential complexes and private residences, and the creation of comprehensive master plans for major leisure and mixed-use development. His work as an architect and as an educator has been exhibited and published worldwide. He formerly chaired Pratt's Graduate Architecture Program and was faculty president of the School of Architecture.   David is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and the Institute for Urban Design, and serves on the boards of the Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Cyprus Cultural Foundation, and the Congress of International Modern Architects, of which he is a former president. In addition, he is a nominator for the Aga Khan Award for projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, preservation, and planning. David is a former elected member of the Honors Committee of AIA NY, and has served as chair of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter's Design Awards Program and former chair of the American Planning Association New York Metro Chapter's Waterfront Committee. He has a bachelor of architecture degree from Pratt Institute and a master of architecture degree from Yale University, where he studied under Serge Chermayeff and Paul Rudolph. His architecture has received a number of awards, including the New York City Bard Honor Award, the Cyprus Architects Association Prize in Architecture, the Cyprus State Award for Architecture, an Architect magazine award, a New York State AIA Citation for Design, and an Architects Designers, Planners for Social Responsibility Award. His work has also been nominated for the European Union's Mies van der Rohe Award. "Built Ideas: A Life of Teaching, Learning, and Action" "Built Ideas" is free and open to the public, and will be celebrated on March 1 with a 6 PM lecture by David, titled "Talking About You," in Higgins Hall Auditorium at 61 St. James Place.  The lecture will be introduced by visionary architect Lebbeus Woods, and will reflect on David's 43 years as a teacher through the work of his former students, many of whom have gone on to become accomplished architects and teachers. An opening reception, with live jazz and Greek food, will take place immediately following at 7 PM.  Seating priority at the lecture will be given to Pratt students and faculty members with valid ID at 5:30 PM.  Members of the public will be admitted at 5:50 PM should seating be available.  "Built Ideas" is curated and designed by Christoph a. Kumpusch, adjunct assistant professor, Pratt Institute.  The exhibition includes 19 mostly realized works, which demonstrate the interweaving of four primary architectural idea themes: Ground/Topio, Precedent/Proigoumeno, Symbolism/Symvolismos, and Art/Techni. The Built Ideas exhibited include significant works of the architect in Cyprus such as sports stadia and arenas, private residences, urban housing, educational facilities, and hybrid corporate structures. David's New York projects include recognized religious buildings and a proposal for a Greek Orthodox Church at the World Trade Center site. "Ideas can become buildings and buildings can sponsor ideas. The exceptional thing about Theo's work is that he works in both directions--simultaneously," said a. Kumpusch. "The show is about authorship, tangibility, and genius," he added.  Also on view will be the work of David's students, which date from the start of his teaching career in 1969 at Pratt and in Nicosia, Cyprus; Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; and Rome, Italy and have been developed in parallel with his own work. "Built Ideas" will travel to Cyprus, Greece, and will be accompanied by a 80-page catalog with text contributions by Woods, a. Kumpusch, and Pratt School of Architecture Dean Thomas Hanrahan. "An Architect Drawing" "An Architect Drawing" will be celebrated with an opening reception on February 16 from 4:30 to 7 PM. The 55 drawings in this exhibition fall into four series: Roma, Petra Jerash, Moscow St. Petersburg, and The World Trade Center. The Roma series combines drawings from memories of Italy that relate to a specific place or event with descriptive text. The Petra Jerash series includes ephemeral drawings that portray the passage of time in two Jordanian cities, bringing with it the erosion of memory and erosion by natural forces. The Moscow St. Petersburg series represents Russia's past and present, including architectural artifacts of an imperial era that have been re-gilded and are now experienced as contemporary. The World Trade Center series, drawn on a bleak afternoon in December 2001, records a moment of mourning and a void that was filled with the kinetic architecture of reconstruction. "An Architect Drawing" will be accompanied by a catalog with an essay by noted author Joel Agee. "Built Ideas" is made possible in part with generous support from the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, with additional support from the Dean's Office of the School of Architecture and the Department of Architecture at the University of Cyprus. "Built Ideas: A Life of Teaching, Learning, and Action"March 2-30, 2012Hazel and Robert H. Siegel GalleryHiggins Hall, 61 St. James PlaceLecture: March 1 at 6 PMOpening Reception: March 1, 7-9 PM Gallery Hours: 9 AM-5 PM Daily  "An Architect Drawing"February 17-September 28, 2012 President's Office GalleryMain Building, 200 Willoughby AvenueOpening Reception: February 16, 4:30-7PM Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday, 10AM to 4 PM Photo: Allegra GSP Sport Center in Nicosia, Cyprus. Photo: C. Artemis. MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Aronoff at 718-636-3554 or aarono29@pratt.edu 2012-02-06T14:15:18+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/programs_for_sustainable_planning_and_development_present_spring_lecture_se/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/programs_for_sustainable_planning_and_development_present_spring_lecture_se/#When:16:03:27Z Pratt Institute's Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development (PSPD) will present lectures on environmental justice in New York, climate change and preservation, case studies of New York City development projects, and on construction and facilities management by experts in their fields as part of its spring 2012 lecture series. All lectures will be held at Pratt's Manhattan Campus, located at 144 West 14th Street, room 213; the lectures are free and open to the public. Each lecture follows one of the below four themes below. Please see below for a full list of topics and speakers.    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Environmental Justice in New York6-8PMPresented by Eddie Bautista, visiting assistant professor; executive director, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance February 3, 2012 - An Evening with NYC-EJA MembersRepresentatives from UPROSE, El Puente, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, The Point, Nos Quedamos, and Morningside Heights/West Harlem Sanitation Coalition February 10, 2012 - NYC Solid Waste Management PlanGavin Kearney, NY Lawyers for the Public Interest, Eric Goldstein, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Brian Mahanna, NYC Mayor's Office February 24, 2012 - Incineration (Thermal "Waste-to-Energy")David Bragdon, director, NYC Mayor's Office of Long Term Planning & Sustainability; Laura Haight, NY Public Interest Research Group; and Nicky Sheets, NJ Environmental Justice Alliance March 23, 2012 - Brownfield ReclamationDan Walsh, director, NYC's Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation; and Jody Koss, New Partners for Community Revitalization ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Keeping it Cool: Fighting Climate Change with Preservation6-8 PMPresented by Ned Kaufman, adjunct associate professor; founder, Kaufman Heritage Conservation February 17, 2012 - Synergies of Stewardship, Technology and Design: Restoring the EarthJean Carroon, principal, Goody Clancy March 9, 2012 - The Greenest Building is...One That's Already BuiltCarl Elefante, FAIA, director, Sustainable Design, Quinn Architects March 30, 2012 - Unlocking the Green Opportunities in New York's Old BuildingsLisa Kersavage, senior director, Preservation and Sustainability; Municipal Art Society ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Insider Case Study of an NYC Development Project6-8 PMPresented by William Menking, professor; founder and editor, The Architect's Newspaper, and David Gruber, chair, Manhattan Community Board No. 2 April 6, 2012 - Riverside Center (Part 1)Roy Kim, senior vice president, Design, Extell Development Company April 13, 2012 - Riverside Center (Part 2)Mel Wymore, former chair, Community Board 7 April 20, 2012 - Riverside Center (Part 3)Brian Cook, director of planning, Office of Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Construction/Facilities Management Lecture SeriesMeet the Speaker: 6:15 PM Lectures: 6:30 PMPresented by James G. Howie (RA, AIA), adjunct professor February 29, 2012 - What's Shaking in the City? Seismic Design in NYDr. Sissy Nikolaou, PE, senior associate, Mueser Rutledge Engineers March 20, 2012 - Real Life/Real Time Dispute ResolutionJoel Scioscia, general council, Pavarini McGovern April 19, 2012 - Disaster Mitigation- Protecting BuildingsChristopher Marrion, PE, FSFPE, Marrion Consulting   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  The lectures below took place earlier in the series. January 27, 2012 - Preserving Heritage (and the Planet): Preservation at the end of the Oil AgeStephen Tilly, principal, Stephen Tilly Architect January 30, 2012 - Restructuring a Distressed DevelopmentHarry L. Posin, president, Label & Co. Developments, Inc. Pratt PSPD is an alliance of four programs in Pratt's School of Architecture with a shared value placed on urban sustainability -- defined by the "triple bottom line" of environment, equity, and economy. The four Master of Science programs are the following: City and Regional Planning, Urban Environmental Systems Management, Facilities Management, and Historic Preservation. For more details, please visit:http://www.pratt.edu/pratt_blog/view/pspd_spring_2012_lecture_series/ MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Aronoff at 718-636-3554 or aarono29@pratt.edu 2012-02-02T16:03:27+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/architecture_students_to_present_exhibition_on_revitalization_of_post-/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/architecture_students_to_present_exhibition_on_revitalization_of_post-/#When:18:23:38Z Eight master's degree candidates from Pratt Institute's Graduate Architecture program will present proposals and work as part of the exhibition, "Upstate New York: Experimental Urbanism for a Re-Energized Society" during Pratt's Green Week from March 26 to 30, 2012 at the Lobby Gallery in Higgins Hall at 61 Saint James Place in Brooklyn. These proposals will focus on the future of post-industrial towns in Upstate New York, and will include the presentation of a prototype "pioneer district" in a quarry located in Poughkeepsie. A press preview and reception will be held on Friday, February 3 from 3 to 6 PM, and both are free and open to the public. Meta Brunzema, adjunct associate professor, Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design, and coordinator, Graduate Architecture and Urban Design program, served as lead faculty advisor to these graduate students, who developed innovative planning and design proposals based on cutting-edge economic, urban, and architectural research. Participating students include Anjali Aiyappa, Jeffrey Autore, Zachary Johnson, Joselia Mendiolea, Masha Pekurovsky, Josue Sanchez, Christian Strom, and Hsing-Chung (Mike) Su. "It is urgent to rethink the evolutionary capacity of historic Hudson River and Erie Canal towns like Hudson, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Rome, and Lockport, each of which has been losing population and economic vitality for the last 40 years," said Brunzema. "Many post-industrial towns in Upstate New York struggle to maintain essential services, and efforts to adapt these towns to 21st-century innovation and low-carbon economies have been severely constrained. As a result, a great deal of energy, creativity and resourcefulness of local citizens and businesses remains untapped." The work of the students is a component of a larger regional plan called "Building Exhibition Hudson Valley/Erie Canal 2014 - 2024" that is currently being developed by Brunzema. Designed to retain and attract creative talent, business, and tourism, this plan seeks to create hundreds of projects through creative competition between towns, businesses, or civic groups in partnership with the public sector over a 10-year period. It also develops a network of polycentric regional towns--rather than suburbs and town centers--to increase their global competitiveness. The prototype "pioneer district" in Poughkeepsie was developed by the students during a semester in Brunzema's Transition Studio course. This experimental urban area, located in a large quarry, was designed to become an economic engine that provides space and opportunities to create significant industrial, commercial, and affordable housing growth. Designed by the Pratt team as a site of institutional, spatial, and economic innovation, this new "pioneer district" seeks to reenergize Poughkeepsie and to transform it into a polycentric community with regional and global reach. The sustainable future of the American city is a very timely topic, and will soon be addressed from a different perspective in The Museum of Modern Art's exhibition, "Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream," which runs from February 15 through July 30, 2012. Describing the Pratt studio's work, Brunzema states "at a time of limited financial and environmental resources, the city must engage the pioneering spirit of a reenergized society by offering dense urban spaces designed for interactivity and collaborative experimentation." At the press preview and reception, a 16-foot-long architectural model of the prototype "pioneer district" in Poughkeepsie will be on display and discussed in depth by Brunzema and participating graduate students. Highlights from the student proposals follow below: Jeffrey Autore's proposal includes a dense mixed-use business district with interconnected offices, lofts, schools, and public spaces. This area was specifically designed to stimulate the economy with new types of spaces for the generation, recombination, and exchange of ideas. Zachary Johnson developed an industrial production and innovation complex optimized for regional and global connectivity by water, road, rail, and air. Johnson's commercial and industrial spaces are designed to adapt to the highly dynamic business needs of the 21st century. Christian Strom developed an experimental cooperative housing project with spatially complex building clusters designed to catalyze social interactions, creative collaborations, and new ways of living and working. Josue Sanchez's proposal focused on prefabricated housing designed for gradual densification with do-it-yourself expansions (rooms, home-offices, solariums, etc.). His goal was to achieve affordability for a more diverse and mobile population. Masha Pekurovsky designed an interactive facility termed the "transit materials lab," where municipal waste is transformed into new soil and products for the "pioneer district." This facility also includes a "circulating storage" that allows people to temporarily rent out underutilized items such as canoes, couches, etc.    Mike Su designed a dense mixed-use building with lush garden terraces that capture the exuberance of nature and blur boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Garden apartments, a cooking school, and a food distribution hub are connected by multi-level public spaces. Anjali Aiyappa's proposal includes an "economic gardening hub and cultivator"--which is a hybrid between an economic development support office for high-growth companies--a skills exchange, an incubator, and a greenhouse/cafeteria. Joselia Mendiolea developed large event spaces that accommodate open-air opera and concerts, fairs, and markets with carefully modified landscape interventions and subtle features that measure geological and man-made forces. Some of the spaces will be used for large experimental art exhibitions and super-sized industrial prototypes. Pratt Institute's Graduate Architecture program contributes to the progressive design environment for advanced architectural research located in New York City. The programs propose speculative debate and experimental architectural production based on a relational construct among theoretical inquiry, computational research, digital design, and technological investigation. Meta Brunzema, a graduate of Columbia University, founded the award-winning architecture and urban design practice Meta Brunzema Architect P.C. in New York City in 1998. Her firm specializes in cutting-edge sustainable design that engages contemporary spatial, environmental and socio-economic issues. Brunzema recently authored a chapter in Feminist Practices: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Women in Architecture (Ashgate Publishing, Limited, 2011) on her work on La Marqueta Mile in Harlem.Renderings by Pratt Institute graduate architecture students, clockwise from upper left: Mixed-use business and cultural district by Jeffrey Autore; dynamic landscapes and event spaces, including towers and a solar airplane by Joselia Mendiolea; "transit materials lab" interactive facility by Masha Pekurovsky; housing which blurs boundaries between indoors and outdoors by Hsing-Chung (Mike) Su.  MEDIA CONTACT: Kate Unver at 718-230-6847 or kunver@pratt.edu 2012-01-17T18:23:38+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/communications_design_departments_present_spring_2012_lecture_series/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/communications_design_departments_present_spring_2012_lecture_series/#When:17:59:45Z Pratt Institute's Communications Design programs will present their spring 2012 design lecture series from Monday, January 30, through Tuesday, March 27, 2012, at the Institute's Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses. The series will feature talks by writer and design producer John Thackara, director and designer Karin Fong, and graphic designer Khoi Vinh. The lectures are free and open to the public; however, seating priority will be given to current students with Pratt identification. Writer, speaker, design producer, and director of the weblog Doors of Perception, John Thackara will deliver a lecture on Monday, January 30 at 6 PM in Higgins Hall Auditorium at 61 St. James Place in Brooklyn. Thackara writes for Design Observer, and is the author of 12 books, including In The Bubble: Designing In A Complex World (The MIT Press, 2005) and Wouldn't It Be Great If (Design Council, 2007). Director and designer Karin Fong will deliver a lecture on Tuesday, January 21 at 6 PM at Pratt Manhattan at 144 West 14th Street, Room 213. Fong is one of the founding members of Imaginary Forces, a creative studio and production company. A graduate of Yale, Fong's work has been featured at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, the Wexner Center for the Arts, Artists Space, the Walker Art Center, and in numerous publications. Graphic designer and blogger Khoi Vinh will deliver a lecture on Tuesday, March 27 at 6 PM at Pratt Manhattan at 144 West 14th Street, Room 213. Named one of the "The 50 Most Influential Designers in America" in September 2011 by Fast Company, Vinh is former design director for The New York Times. He is the co-founder and CEO of Lascaux Co., makers of Mixel for iPad, the world's first social collage app. Past Communications Design lecturers have included LAB at Rockwell Group, Michael Bierut, Bruce Mau, Brian Collins, Ellen Lupton, Michael Rock, Experimental Jetset, Rick Valiventi, Paul Sahre, and Luke Hayman. For more information on the series, and for information on the spring 2012 lecturers, please click here.MEDIA CONTACT: Kate Unver at 718-230-6847 or kunver@pratt.edu 2012-01-17T17:59:45+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/industrial_design_students_redesign_the_overnight_bag/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/industrial_design_students_redesign_the_overnight_bag/#When:21:44:35Z Three students from Pratt Industrial Design Professor Katrin Mueller-Russo's Senior Product Design Studio "From Technique to Product" won prizes at the 2011 Collab Student Design Competition, an annual event held in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, for their innovative overnight bag designs. Pratt's German exchange students Silvia Terhedebrugge and Elisa Boell took home first and second prize respectively, and Jeannie Wu (Class of 2012) was awarded first honorable mention. A total of six of Mueller-Russo's senior-year undergraduate students participated and won three of five prizes. There were 115 projects from seven different design schools that were submitted overall, which was the largest in the competition's history.This year's theme was based on the museum's exhibition "Zaha Hadid: Form In Motion," which celebrates the artist's work in the fields of urbanism, architecture, and design. Students were asked to design an overnight bag that inspired fun and functional travel. The winning students and Mueller-Russo attended a presentation awards event in November at the museum with famed architect Zaha Hadid also in attendance.  First-prize Terhedebrugge of Germany was recognized for a fashion-forward piece of luggage titled UnderCover OverNight that is fashioned as a cape with visible pockets on the outside and secret pockets on the inside that can hold items for overnight trips. In addition to holding one's overnight items, the cape also protects the wearer from wind and weather. Second-prize Boell of Germany was recognized for an inventive design titled, Urban Bundle, that is a modern version of the travel bundle. The design features a tube with three separate containers that store toiletries, make up, and personal belongings that is then rolled up with the user's clothing items and secured to a close with an elastic band. The design (sans tube) can also be transformed into a pillow. First runner-up Wu of San Francisco, Calif. was recognized for a beautiful crocheted comfort accessory for traveling, titled Amethyst, that is embedded with a neck and back support system and the capability of holding hot and cold packs to further relieve neck and back pain. The design is accompanied by a shawl that functions as a garment and as a blanket.The jurors who selected the winners included Kirsten Climer, designer, Smart Design Worldwide; John Edelman, president and CEO, Design Within Reach; Victor Sanz, design director, Tumi Inc.; Susan Szenasy, editor in chief, Metropolis Magazine; and Janet Villano, VP product development, Skiphop.  Pratt Institute's industrial design program is ranked among the best in the country according to U.S. News and World Report's most recent rankings of America's Best Graduate Schools and DesignIntelligence's 2012 publication "America's Best Architecture and Design Schools." The Industrial Design department is chaired by Steve Diskin and is part of the Pratt Institute School of Art and Design, which is led by Dean Concetta M. Stewart.The Collab Student Design Competition is an annual event held in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The competition brief is always linked thematically to that year's Collab Design Excellence Award recipient. For the past 18 years, the event has been an exceptional opportunity for students to experience the rigors of competition and have industry leaders from around the world judge their work. In addition, students interact with colleagues from other universities and institutions, exposing them to an array of design approaches. Collab is a collaboration of design professionals and enthusiasts supporting the Modern and Contemporary Design Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. For more on Collab, visit http://www.philamuseum.org/collab/.Mueller-Russo's students participated and were recognized with prizes in the 2010 and 2006 Collab Student Design Competitions. A student won third prize in last year's competition, which was linked with the work of Alberto Alessi; and in 2006 three students were recognized with first prize and first and second honorable mention in the competition, which was linked with the work of Georg Jensen and Georg Jensen Inc.Clockwise from left: Silvia Terhedebrugge's first-prize cape design; Elisa Boell's second-prize travel bundle design; and Jeannie Wu's first runner-up comfort accessory. Photo Credits from left: Courtesy of Silvia Terhedebrugge, Elisa Boell, and Jeannie Wu.MEDIA CONTACT: Kate Unver at 718-230-6847 or kunver@pratt.edu 2012-01-16T21:44:35+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/pratt_ranked_eleventh_nationwide_in_survey_that_measures_quality_and_q/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/pratt_ranked_eleventh_nationwide_in_survey_that_measures_quality_and_q/#When:18:12:00Z Pratt Institute has been ranked number 11 in the nation for the quantity and quality of its coverage in global print and electronic media, on the Internet, throughout the blogosphere, and in social media outlets, according to the Global Language Monitor's (GLM) TrendTopper MediaBuzzTM 2012 Rankings, which were released in Fall 2011. The rankings, which measure the strength of an institute's brand equity across a variety of media, indicate that Pratt's brand value is steadily rising. Pratt's 11th ranking is up from 14th in 2010 and 28th in 2009, which reflects the positive things being said and written about Pratt by the news media and in social media outlets. The publication also lists Pratt as number one among the country's multidisciplinary colleges of art and design for its overall media presence. "The TrendTopper analysis is a way of seeing the colleges through the eyes of the world at large and Pratt is an institution held in high regard globally," said Paul JJ Payack, founder of GLM's TrendTopper MediaBuzzTM Rankings. "Pratt is in the rather unique position of starting out with a high ranking -- and then improving on that with each new survey. This combination is clearly a distinction enjoyed by only a few of the hundreds of schools that we survey," he added. Pratt was the only college of art and design in the country out of the top 20 listed in the college category, and was ranked higher than any other college of art and design including School of the Art Institute of Chicago (22), Cooper Union (26), Rhode Island School of Design (32), School of Visual Arts (42), California Institute of the Arts (101), California College of Art (125), and Corcoran College of Art and Design (153). There were a total of 153 institutions of higher education included in the rankings. Universities are ranked separately and Harvard University tops that list. "In the rapidly changing communications and media environment of the early 21st century, you cannot rely on television surveys, at-home interviews, newspaper clippings, or television mentions to measure the worth of a brand," write the editors of the report. "Today the methodology must encompass the Twitters and YouTubes of the world as well as the tens of millions of blogs, the billions of Web pages, as well as the top global print and electronic media." GLM began its rankings system several years ago after noticing a number of biases built into supposedly non-biased studies that resulted in college and university rankings. The organization created the TrendTopper MediaBuzz Analysis in order to measure a college's value according to its brand equity, which it defines as the value a consumer bestows upon a product. Rankings come out twice a year. GLM used its Predictive Quantities Indicator software that utilizes a proprietary algorithm for the TrendTopper MediaBuzz Analysis. Its mathematical model allows GLM to make statistically significant comparisons among the various measurements and allows it to gauge the relative values differing institutions are assigned by consumers as well as measures of how that value changes over time. For more information, visit http://www.trendtopper.com/. MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Aronoff at 718-636-3554 or press@pratt.edu 2011-12-19T18:12:00+00:00 http://www.pratt.edu/news/view/pratt_named_one_of_the_nations_most_environmentally_responsible_colleg/ http://www.pratt.edu/news/pratt_named_one_of_the_nations_most_environmentally_responsible_colleg/#When:13:52:22Z Pratt Institute is one of the country's most environmentally responsible colleges according to The Princeton Review (http://www.PrincetonReview.com).The nationally known education services company selected the Institute for inclusion in a unique resource it has created for college applicants, titled The Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges, which notes that Pratt's "reputation as a prestigious art school makes it an obvious choice for students interested in green design, and its urban campus provides a unique challenge for putting green design into practice."              Pratt was recognized by the publication for the sustainability focused education it provides its students and for its commitment to the greening of its campus buildings and grounds. In January 2011, Pratt Institute opened a new six-story, 120,000-square-foot green academic and administrative facility named Myrtle Hall at 536 Myrtle Avenue between Grand Avenue and Steuben Street to house the college's Department of Digital Arts as well as several administrative offices. The building serves as a physical manifestation of Pratt's commitment to sustainable design education. In fall 2009, Pratt submitted an official climate change action plan to the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), which documents Pratt's commitment to reducing its campus greenhouse gas emissions and outlines a series of academic initiatives designed to educate faculty, students, and the local community on issues related to sustainability. To achieve the goals of the plan, Pratt created a unique model among colleges of art and design nationwide by filling two full-time positions: one for an administrative director in charge of campus facilities and another for an academic director in charge of educational, research, and enterprise initiatives. In 2007, Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte became one of the first signatories of the ACUPCC and that same year accepted Mayor Bloomberg's 30/10 Challenge to reduce greenhouse gases by 30 percent by 2017, which is the central goal of the Institute's climate action plan. Other major plans outlined in the document include the recent creation of a Center for Sustainable Design Studies and Research; the development of an all-Institute sustainability minor at Pratt, utilizing the Pratt campus as a model for sustainable living, and working with local community groups to promote energy conservation and other sustainable living practices. The Guide to 311 Green Colleges--which is based on a survey of 2,000 colleges nationwide--profiles the nation's most environmentally responsible campuses including the college's academic offerings and extracurricular options. The introduction to the publication states: "a holistic approach to sustainable living on campus binds these schools together, covering everything from procurement and building guidelines to green academic programs and preparation for sustainable careers, and a willingness to be accountable for their green commitments."  From solar panel study rooms to the percentage of budget spent on local/organic food, the Guide looks at an institution's commitment to building certification using USGBC's LEED green building certification program; environmental literacy programs; formal sustainability committees; use of renewable energy resources; recycling and conservation programs, and much more.  Developed by The Princeton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC, http://www.usgbc.org), the Guide to 311 Green Colleges is the first, free comprehensive guidebook focused solely upon institutions of higher education that have demonstrated an above average commitment to sustainability in terms of campus infrastructure, activities, and initiatives. The Guide was created as a response to "a rising interest among students in attending colleges that practice, teach, and support environmentally responsible choices."    The free Guide can be downloaded at http://www.princetonreview.com/greenguide and http://www.usgbc.org/campus. From left to right: A typical residence hall room in Willoughby Hall on Pratt's Brooklyn campus next to the Institute's green residence hall room, which was created by undergraduate and graduate industrial and interior design students along with staff from Pratt's Office of Facilities Management and Residential Life; solar voltaic panels installed on the roof of Pratt's new green building, Myrtle Hall. Photos: Diana Pau; Alexander Severin/RAZUMMEDIA. MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Aronoff at 718.636.3554 or aarono29@pratt.edu 2011-12-12T13:52:22+00:00