Award-winning
architect Steven Ehrlich, FAIA, will be a guest lecturer sponsored by the Kansas State University College of Architecture,
Planning and Design. He will present
Multicultural Modernism
at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17, 2008, in Little Theatre of the
K-State Student Union. The lecture is open to the public at no charge.
In his talk, Ehrlich will trace the evolution of his distinctive approach to
creating meaningful architecture for the 21st Century, incorporating
numerous examples from his recent work in the U.S. and around the world. Citing
the unique convergence of factors that challenge today’s architects to adapt to
global realities, he makes a compelling case for “multicultural modernism” as a
vital and flexible architectural language for our time.
The roots of “multicultural modernism” can be traced to Ehrlich’s first
experiences as a working architect in Africa,
where he was exposed to architecture without architects-vernacular buildings
and city layouts that were functional, sustainable and sensitive to their
environments. In 1969, he joined the Peace Corps and served for two years in Morocco’s
department of urban planning and housing. He later traveled in the Sahara and
West Africa, and taught architecture at Ahmadu
Bello University
from 1974-1977 in Zaria, Nigeria.
In his more than 25 years of private practice in Los Angeles, Ehrlich has
continuously developed a synthesis of culture and construction, even as he
absorbed additional ideas during further travels, teaching and work in Asia,
Latin America and the Middle East. “Multicultural modernism” is the synthesis
of these principles, adapted to Western needs and making full use of new
technologies.
The lecture will elucidate four elements of “multicultural modernism:” sensing
place and listening to people; courtyards as an antidote to density and stress;
the influence of Los Angeles,
city of the future, as an incubator of change; and cross-cultural fusion.
Steven Ehrlich, FAIA, is design principal of Steven Ehrlich Architects located
in Culver City, California, and a graduate of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute. He has received over 80 professional architectural
awards and honors, including seven national American Institute of Architects
design awards. His firm was named AIA California Council Firm of the Year for
2003. A frequent guest lecturer at universities, symposiums and museums
throughout the world, Ehrlich is a visiting professor of architecture at the University of Southern
California and has served as a design critic at Harvard University.
Attendance
at the lecture can be submitted as continuing education credit by design
professionals by contacting Diane Potts.
This lecture is funded by the K-State Student Fine Arts Fee.
Ehrlich will also present his lecture on September 18 at 6:30p at the Kansas City Design
Center, 1018 Baltimore,
Kansas City, Missouri.
For more information, contact:
Peter Magyar,785.532.5953
Diane Potts, 785.532.1090
