Urban design practices in Fast Forward

Cutting edge international architects, Momoyo Kaijima from Atelier Bow-Wow and Hitoshi Abe, are among the speakers lined up for this year’s Fast Forward public lecture series, hosted by the School of Architecture and Planning at The University of Auckland.

These internationally acclaimed visitors present radically different approaches to the shifting role of the architectural profession.

Momoyo Kaijima’s Tokyo-based architectural firm, Atelier Bow-Wow, is among the most innovative practices working today. Achieving near cult status among architects and students around the world, Kaijima and her collaborator Yoshiharu Tsukamoto have built a career confronting the challenges posed by the dense urban environments of Japan. Their innovative research into Tokyo’s vernacular architecture, such as the Pet Architecture Guidebook, has formed the inspiration for their internationally acclaimed designs for urban houses.

Andrew Barrie, Professor of Design at The University of Auckland’s School of Architecture and Planning says: “Atelier Bow-Wow have been globally influential in re-establishing the importance of small-scale urban patterns and daily life in architectural design. They observe the city around them, and use their discoveries to inject joy and drama into the everyday activities that take place in the buildings they design.” Kaijima is the School of Architecture and Planning’s International Architect in Residence for 2010, and will be teaching her unique design approach during the coming semester.

A radically different approach is apparent in the work of pan-Pacific star architect, Hitoshi Abe, Chair of the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design. After winning first prize in the Miyagi Stadium Competition in 1992, Hitoshi Abe established a high-profile design practice based in Sendai, Japan. Known for spatially complex and structurally innovative buildings, the work of Atelier Hitoshi Abe has been widely published and received numerous awards, both nationally and internationally. His interest in the innovative use of low-cost materials has lead to his most recent projects rebuilding intergenerational housing in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Other local speakers will be involved in this Fast Forward series: NZIA Gold Medal-winner Marsh Cook, Christina van Bohemen and Aaron Sills will present the work of their innovative young architecture and urban design practice; Hon Peter Salmon QC, Ken Tremaine and Graham Bush, experts on local governance and planning, will give their views on the Auckland Super City; and mayoral candidates will present their visions for Auckland’s built environment and urban future in a debate “Towards A New Auckland.”

Lectures are open to the public, and those other than Momoyo Kaijima are free entry. Attendance at each lecture earns 10 NZIA CPD points.

MARSHALL COOK / COOK SARGISSON & PIRIE / AUCKLAND
Wednesday 28th July, 6.30pm
Engineering Lecture Theatre 1.439, 20 Symonds Street

School of Architecture & Planning International Architect in Residence
MOMOYO KAIJIMA / ATELIER BOW-WOW / TOKYO
Wednesday 4th August, 6.30pm
Fisher & Paykel Auditorium, Owen G Glenn Bldg, 12 Grafton Road
Tickets $25 (students $20) Bookings: www.ticketek.co.nz (booking fee may apply)

HITOSHI ABE / ATELIER HITOSHI ABE / SENDAI & LOS ANGELES
Wednesday 11th August, 6.30pm
Fisher & Paykel Auditorium, Owen G Glenn Bldg, 12 Grafton Road

LEIGH AUTON / MANUKAU CITY COUNCIL / MANUKAU
Wednesday 18th August, 6.30pm
Engineering Lecture Theatre 1.439, 20 Symonds Street

KEN TREMAINE, PETER SALMON & GRAEME BUSH / PERSPECTIVES ON THE SUPERCITY
Wednesday 25th August, 6.30pm
Engineering Lecture Theatre 1.439, 20 Symonds Street

CHRISTINA VAN BOHEMEN & AARON SILLS / SILLS VAN BOHEMEN / AUCKLAND
Wednesday 15th September, 6.30pm
Engineering Lecture Theatre 1.439, 20 Symonds Street

MAYORAL DEBATE ON THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Tuesday 17th August, 6.30pm
OGGB4, Owen G Glenn Bldg, 12 Grafton Road

THOM CRAIG / THOM CRAIG ARCHITECTS / CHRISTCHURCH
Wednesday 19th September, 6.30pm
Engineering Lecture Theatre 1.439, 20 Symonds Street

PETE BOSSLEY / PETE BOSSLEY ARCHITECTS / AUCKLAND
Wednesday 6th October, 6.30pm
Engineering Lecture Theatre 1.439, 20 Symonds Street

ANDREW BARRIE / UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND / INAUGURAL LECTURE
Wednesday 6th October, 6.30pm
Engineering Lecture Theatre 1.439, 20 Symonds Street

For further information visit www.creative.auckland.ac.nz or phone 09 373 7067.

The University of Auckland’s National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries comprises the School of Architecture and Planning, Elam School of Fine Arts, the Centre for New Zealand Art Research and Discovery (CNZARD), the School of Music and the Dance Studies Programme.