Collective Identity | Singular Curiosity: Three Years, Six Projects by COLIN KOOP (SOM)

Collective Identity | Singular Curiosity: Three Years, Six Projects
by COLIN KOOP (SOM)

Saturday, JUNE 19, 2021 @10:00 JST

SUMMARY:
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Colin Koop, a Design Partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP
Colin Koop is a design partner in SOM’s New York office. Throughout his 18 years at the firm, Koop has developed a broad body of work defined by a strong social conscience, a research-driven and collaborative approach, and purpose-built results. Koop begins the design process by seeking to understand the unique qualities of a place; his goal is to find modes of expression that embody context, while charting new, ambitious paths forward. His emphasis on systematic thinking is tempered with a concern for an individual’s experience of the completed work—an approach that reconciles scientific thinking with a humanist point of view. Focused on the challenges facing our planet, Koop seeks to address the disruptive impact of technology, the effects of climate change, shifts in regional and global culture, the importance of preserving the past, and the need to create a more equitable world. He has extensive experience in a diverse array of project types, including education, transportation, high-rise, and urban planning. His projects span the globe, with work completed or underway in China, India, the Middle East, North America, and South America. He recently designed the New Futura residential towers in Singapore. In the U.S., he is currently working on the new Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 4 Hudson Square, a new headquarters for The Walt Disney Company’s New York operations. Koop’s work has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects, the Urban Land Institute, and the Municipal Art Society of New York. His projects have been published in A+U, Architect Magazine, Metropolis, Bauwelt, Fast Company, Wired, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

SUMMARY:
How does a designer retain one’s unique sensibilities while operating within a larger collective? This question has animated the careers of over eight decades of thinkers at Skidmore Owings & Merrill, of which Colin Koop represents the next generation. Currently the youngest partner at SOM, Colin will reflect on the state of one of the most influential multi-generational design practices during a time of transformational change, how to wrestle with a rich but complex design history, and how one’s curiosity and particular interests can manifest themselves within a portfolio of work. He will discuss recent projects like the new East Coast headquarters of the Walt Disney Company, the newly completed Moynihan Train Hall, and the ongoing Moon Village Research Initiative.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Participants in this session will be able to:

1. Explain how to balance the integrity of historic structures with the demands of modern transportation facilities.
2. Design resilient habitat structures for interplanetary settlements.
3. Explore how interdisciplinary collaboration at the intersection of architecture and engineering creates efficient yet beautiful structures
4. How site and climate analysis can produce new forms of contemporary architecture specifically tailored to people and place.

CES:
2.0 LU for AIA Members

Please enter your name and membership number via “chat” during the lecture or registration page, so that you can obtain the 2.0 learning units.