Japan Society to Host Special Talk on Climate, Ecology & Japanese Design in Architecture Jan. 31
Rome Prize-Winning Architects Discuss the Pivotal Roles of Climate, Ecology and Traditional Japanese Concepts in Shaping Sustainable Design Projects
Inside Out/Outside In: Second Nature in Japanese Architecture
Thursday, January 31, 2019, 6:30 pm, at Japan Society
In our climate-shifting world, the traditional Japanese notion of mediating between interior and exterior has re-emerged as an essential concern for contemporary architects all across the globe. Rome Prize-winning architects Rachely Rotem and Phu Hoang, of NYC-based architectural firm MODU, explore this dynamic in their own weather-centric projects, which aim to create a new sustainability that breaks barriers and creates fluidity between indoor and outdoor environments.
Funded by the NEA and US-Japan Creative Artists Program, Rotem and Hoang visited Japan May through August of 2018 to research the role of weather and climate in the conception of architectural space. During this trip, they met with five generations of influential Japanese architects including Kengo Kuma, Fumihiko Maki, and Ryue Nishizawa. They also, as a matter of coincidence, directly witnessed a myriad of devastating weather conditions, including the Osaka Earthquake in June, along with historic rainfalls and extreme heatwaves.
In Inside Out/Outside In: Second Nature in Japanese Architecture, Rotem and Hoang discuss their innovative design philosophy and share revelations from their recent travels to Japan. Moderated by Beatrice Galilee, Associate Curator of Architecture and Design at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the talk takes place Thursday, January 31, at Japan Society, and will be followed by a reception.
Agenda: 6:30–7:30pm Talk, 7:30-8:00pm Reception
Admission: Tickets are $15/$12 Japan Society members, seniors & students. Tickets may be purchased in person at Japan Society, by visiting japansociety.org, or by calling the box office at 212-715-1258. For more information, call 212-832-1155 or visit the website.
Rachely Rotem, LEED AP, FAAR (Speaker), Founding Director and studio Futurist, leads MODU with years of experience designing many project types. Rachely holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree (Cum Laude) from Technion in Haifa and a Master in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University, where she was awarded both the Lowenfish Prize and the William Kinne Fellows Prize. She currently teaches graduate-level studios at MIT, and has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, Pratt Institute, and the University of Pennsylvania. She previously worked for notable architecture practices in Tel Aviv and New York. Rotem is a licensed architect in Israel, a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction, and a fellow of the American Academy in Rome.
Phu Hoang, AIA, FAAR (Speaker), Founding Director and studio Alchemist, leads MODU as an architect with extensive national and international design experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University in New York. He is currently an adjunct assistant professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University and previously taught at the University of Pennsylvania. Before starting his first solo practice in 2006, he worked for prominent architecture practices in London and New York. Hoang is a licensed architect in the states of New York and Connecticut and a fellow of the American Academy in Rome.
Beatrice Galilee (Moderator) trained as an architect and received her MSc in History of Architecture from University College London. Her curatorial work focuses on spatial practices across architecture, design, film, photography, art, and public space. She curated WolfgangTillmans: Book for Architects (2015), The Roof Garden Commission, Cornelia Parker: Transitional Object (PsychoBarn) (2016), and the The Roof Garden Commission, Adrián Villar Rojas: The Theater of Disappearance (2017). She curated and commissioned Breuer Revisited: New Photographs by Luisa Lambri and Bas Princen (2017) and initiated the lecture series and annual conference on contemporary architecture, In Our Time: A Year of Architecture in a Day. Before joining The Met, Beatrice was chief curator of the 2013 Lisbon Architecture Triennale, and co-curator of the 2011 Gwangju Biennale and 2009 Shenzhen Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale. She has held editorial positions at a number of international architecture and design publications.
Japan Society’s Talks+ Program examines vital issues and themes in modern Japanese art, culture and design. Programming is designed to inform and to provide a gateway through which Americans can appreciate the powerful global influence of Japan’s culture and its many trend-defining artisans. Programs bring together experts and practitioners for provocative discussions on diverse topics including aesthetics, consumer culture and cuisine. More at japansociety.org/talks.
Founded in 1907, Japan Society in New York City presents sophisticated, topical and accessible experiences of Japanese art and culture, and facilitates the exchange of ideas, knowledge and innovation between the U.S. and Japan. More than 200 events annually encompass world-class exhibitions, dynamic classical and cutting-edge contemporary performing arts, film premieres and retrospectives, workshops and demonstrations, tastings, family activities, language classes, and a range of high-profile talks and expert panels that present open, critical dialogue on issues of vital importance to the U.S., Japan and East Asia.
Inside Out/Outside In: Second Nature in Japanese Architecture takes place Thursday, January 31, at 6:30 pm. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 and 7 subway at Grand Central or the E and M subway at Lexington Avenue).
Talks+ Programs at Japan Society are generously sponsored by MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group). Additional support is provided by an anonymous donor, the Sandy Heck Lecture Fund, Hiroko Onoyama, Laurel Gonsalves and Dai Ajari Ryojun Shionuma.
