The Poetics of Materials and Infrastructure

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The Poetics of Materials and Infrastructure

Glen Park BART Station, Corlett + Spackman; Ernest Born, San Francisco, CA, 1973.

Credit

Jack McCarthy

“The Poetics of Materials and Infrastructure” day reflects the technological innovations of past and present that define the modern movement.

Morning Sessions 11:00 am - 12:30 pm ET

The panel CROSSROADS OF AIR AND LAND expresses literally and metaphorically modern America as a network of crossroads; expressing the idealism, cultural connectivity and technological advancements of the times and embodying design innovations that contributed to the development of air and transportation planning worldwide.

Early Afternoon Sessions 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm ET

The second panel FINDING RESILIENCE IN URBANISM AND INFRASTRUCTURE focuses on a diversity of urban artifacts that modern life has created by the needs of cities and their various networks. Standing in the way of modernization and caught in near-constant changes in operations, these structures are rarely missed or addressed in expansion or reconstruction plans yet, as they fall, they deserve acknowledgement and study as artifacts in the development of technology and the evolution of the aviation-age city. Whether it be public utility or park these structures create a designed landscape and commanding view of our city.

Late Afternoon Sessions 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm ET

The final sessions of the day will follow with individual presentations on modern materials, with a focus on those often employed in infrastructure projects and used in various contexts and time periods such as concrete, and ceramics.

Tour 5:00 - 6:00 pm ET

Day Two wraps up with a virtual tour of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus, a Brutalist wonderland created by Walter Netsch and SOM between 1963 and 1968.

Brutalism and Field Theory at UIC

The University of Illinois at Chicago Circle was created between 1963 and 1968 as an “instant campus” in response to major growth in college enrollment following WWII.  Its Brutalist design by Walter Netsch and SOM became a nationally recognized model for other campuses across the country, even as it displaced thousands of neighborhood residents and sparked local grassroots protests. This tour will include virtual visits to the buildings and spaces at UIC that have delighted and frustrated users since the day they opened. The tour will conclude with a live Q&A.

Chicago In-Person Happy Hour 7:00 - 8:30 pm CENTRAL

Featured Sponsor

Thank you to Perkins & Will for supporting the 2021 National Symposium.

Perkins & Will

Perkins and Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. Guided by its core values—design excellence, diversity and inclusion, research, resilience, social purpose, sustainability, and well-being—the firm is committed to designing a better, more beautiful world. Fast Company named Perkins and Will one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture, and industry rankings consistently place Perkins and Will among the world’s top design practices. With an international team of more than 2,700 professionals, the firm has over 20 studios worldwide, providing services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture.

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