Description

In this conversation, Design:ED interviews Beka Sturges and Eric Kramer of Reed Hilderbrand about the evolving role of landscape architecture in contemporary design. They discuss the historical hierarchy between architecture and landscape architecture, emphasizing how current environmental and social challenges demand a more integrated, site-responsive, and collaborative design approach. Drawing on projects like Storm King and Powder Mountain, they highlight the importance of understanding place, scale, and ecological systems, and how landscape can enrich human experience and civic engagement. The conversation also explores the unpredictable, living nature of landscapes, the urgency of addressing climate change, and the potential of landscape architecture to foster inclusive, meaningful public spaces that reflect shared cultural values.

Learning Objectives:

Examine the evolving relationship between landscape architecture and traditional architectural practices in response to environmental and social challenges.

Evaluate how landscape architecture contributes to site identity, user experience, and cultural narratives across various scales.

Apply principles of ecological and civic resilience in the planning and design of contemporary landscape projects.

Explore strategies for integrating art, community engagement, and environmental stewardship within large-scale landscape interventions.

Credits: 1.0 AIA LU/Elective

Speaker: Beka Sturges and Eric Kramer

Description

In a conversation with Design:ED, Andrea Steele of Andrea Steele Architecture (ASA) shared her perspective on the evolving role of architecture, emphasizing the importance of creating inclusive, community-centered spaces over simply designing buildings. She highlighted ASA's approach of questioning whether building is always the right solution and illustrated this with a modular kit-of-parts project for New York Restoration Project that empowered communities to build their own pavilions. Steele also discussed the L10 Arts and Cultural Center in Brooklyn as an example of cross-programming and shared civic space, underscoring the value of collaboration between diverse cultural organizations. Throughout, she stressed architecture’s role in fostering human connection, prioritizing flexibility, accessibility, and long-term relevance over image-driven design.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key design strategies discussed in the conversation that promote sustainable architecture.
• Apply insights from Andrea Steele’s approach to integrating community needs into project planning.
• Evaluate examples of adaptive reuse projects highlighted during the discussion.
• Differentiate between various stakeholder engagement methods shared in the conversation

Credits: 1.0 AIA LU/Elective

Speaker: Andrea Steele

Description

In a conversation between Design:ED and Allan Poore of Chaos, Poore explains how Chaos’s visualization tools, such as V-Ray, Enscape, and the recently acquired Evolve Labs suite (including tools like Veras, Gly, and Morpheus), are reshaping architectural workflows. He emphasizes their focus on real-time rendering, AI-driven automation, and usability across devices, enabling faster design decisions and more accessible visualization. The discussion highlights the potential of AI to eliminate tedious tasks like dimensioning, while also noting the importance of retaining architectural understanding. Poore shares insights into Chaos’s strategy of integrating media and entertainment innovations into architecture, the collaborative future of design, and Chaos’s ongoing commitment to balancing realism with performance and flexibility.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify how Chaos visualization tools, including V-Ray and Enscape, support decision-making in architectural design through real-time rendering and asset integration.
• Evaluate the role of AI-driven automation in streamlining repetitive tasks such as dimensioning and documentation within Revit-based workflows.
• Differentiate between the use cases for real-time and offline rendering tools in architectural and client-facing applications.
• Explore the intersection of architectural and media visualization technologies to enhance design accuracy, collaboration, and project efficiency.

Credits: 1.0 AIA LU/Elective

Speaker: Allan Poore