June 14, 2006 (LOS ANGELES, CA) – Over 800 professional architects from across the nation attended the seminar “Architects Discuss America’s New Regionalism,” created and moderated by Raleigh, NC-based architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, during the American Institute of Architects’ 2006 National Convention held this month in Los Angeles, CA. Many more will be able to learn from the seminar since it has been selected to be part of the AIA’s “eClassroom” online educational program.
Harmon, principal of Frank Harmon Architect PA and an associate professor of architect at the North Carolina State University’s College of Design, organized the seminar because “regional architecture must address context, materials, textures, colors, and form using traditional and advanced materials and methods, and connecting clients’ needs and aspirations to the desire to create a profound sense of place,” he said.
Harmon’s seminar studied the work of the three West Coast architects who joined him at the podium: Rick Joy, FAIA, of Rick Joy Architects, in Tucson, Arizona: Tom Kundig, FAIA, of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects of Seattle, Washington; and Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA, co-founding partner of Pugh + Scarpa of Santa Monica, CA, and Charlotte, NC.
“We explored the influence of contemporary regionalism on three of their significant projects,” Harmon said after he returned to Raleigh from the convention, “and the techniques they utilized to satisfy emerging social, cultural, economic and environmental needs for sustainability – arguably the most important architectural issue of our time.”
According to Harmon, whose own work is informed by contemporary regionalism, the issue is both” important and timely” because “the greatest potential for architecture today lies in regional locations — in the sheer number of clients, the variety of landscapes, and the particular ‘sticks and stones’ with which each region has to build. This regional manifestation has significance for the world outside itself, both nationally and internationally, as the need rises for every region to rely on its own resources and draw inspiration from its own context.”
Each participating architect’s case studies demonstrated applied, rather than just theoretical, applications of the principles of modern, innovative regional architecture. They illustrated alternate working relationships for architects, clients, and contractors. And they examined successful, innovative design methods for building with traditional and non-traditional materials.
Harmon presented a similar seminar at the 2004 AIA National Convention and, based on the popularity of both, hopes to present an updated version at the 2006 convention, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, in May.
Frank Harmon’s work and his writing on architecture have been featured in national and international publications, and he is the recipient of many regional, national, and international design awards, including a Business Week/Architectural Record international honor award. He served on the AIA’s 2005 National Honor Awards Jury and is currently serving on the U.S. General Services Administration’s National Register of Peer Professionals to improve public buildings. His firm was named 2005 Top Firm of the Year by Residential Architect magazine and his work is currently featured in the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
Rick Joy regularly serves as a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Rice University and lectures on his work throughout the world. His first monograph, Rick Joy: Desert Works, was published in 2002, the first in the Princeton Architecture Press/Graham Foundation invited New Voices in Architecture series.
Tom Kundig, was recently selected as a finalist for the 2005 National Design Award for Architect awarded each year by the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York. In 2004, the Architectural League of New York selected him as one of eight North American “Emerging Voices” in Architects.
Lawrence Scarpa, was also selected as an “Emerging Voice.” Over the last five years his firm has received 25 major design awards including seven consecutive national AIA Honor Awards.
Frank Harmon’s work can be seen on the web at www.frankharmon.com. To learn more about the AIA’s “eClassroom,” visit eclassroom@aia.org.
