One of the most important Korean architects practicing today, H-Sang Seung worked for Kim Swoo Geun (a significant contributor to modern Korean architecture) before founding his own office, IROJE architects & planners, in 1989. He was a core member of 4.3 Group, which helped to shape 20 years of Korean architecture since Kim Swoo Geun; and participated in founding the Seoul School of Architecture. Seung's leading work is informed by his philosophy on emptiness, the subject of a book he co-authored with Min Hyun-Sik in 2005. According to Seung, "empty space is unique in that it offers extraordinary experiences in the context of ordinary...it mobilizes [the] senses and provides room for sound, weather, seasons, nature to take place within [us].

Architecture is a set of indeterminate instructions, interpreted, produced, and realized in various forms, scales, and sites. Its as lightweight as a string of code. The more lightweight, the farther and faster architecture can travel. In order to unencumber our architectural practice, we use instructions and source leftover materials: waste, excess, air. Architectural scavengers, we eat the leftovers of society and the construction industry to create new forms out of nothing.

This panel discussion, drawing content from a recent publication entitled Where are the Utopian Visionaries? Architecture of Social Exchange edited by Hansy Better Barraza, aims to showcase the work of contemporary architects, designers, and thinkers who continue to address one of the most poignant questions of our time: what is the role of social and community building in the practice of architecture?

Panelists include David Gersten, Hansy Better Barraza, Adam Michaels, Gloria Kury, Margaret Morton. 

learn more ... 

Michael Webb joined the Archigram Group in 1963, a collection of six young architects rebelling against what they saw as an English architectural scene on life support. Through the pages of a magazine the group produced highly colored images of 'a new architecture that would stand alongside the spacecapsules, the inflatable structures and the lifestyles of a new generation.' For eleven years, an exhibition of the group's work toured the world. Originating in Vienna, it visited New York in 1998. In August of 2003 it was mounted in Seoul, Korea, and in London in March of 2004.

The RSA-US Student Design Awards is an undergraduate competition to inspire collaborative design-led social change in the areas of architecture, interiors, urban transit, industrial design, fashion and textiles connects design students and faculty with industry needs. Promoting sustainable innovation for social good: This new awards program inspires socially inclusive, change-making design that cuts across traditional boundaries.

The Annual Lecture will take place on Friday 26 April with introductions by President Jamshed Bharucha and Professor David Turnbull.

The Awards Ceremony will take place on Saturday 27 April and will include presentations by 12 designers and architects, followed by a round-table discussion and reception. 

Founded by the New Museum in 2011, IDEAS CITY is a major collaborative initiative between hundreds of arts, education, and community organizations. This year's theme is Untapped Capital, with participants focused on resources that are under-recognized or underutilized in our cities.

The Cooper Union, its faculty and students are included in many of the Festival's key events including public projects, workshops, and exhibitions.

The School of Architecture's 4th Year Design Studio led by Diane Lewis, has been invited to participate in Bowery Reimagined.

The School of Architecture's 3rd Year Design Studio led by Michael Young was one of ten groups selected as part of a juried competition to design and install a Little Free Library at The Cooper Union.

David Turnbull, Director of PITCHAfrica, will hold a workshop for PITCHAfrica's RAINCHUTE Campaign, which utilizes decommissioned parachutes as rainwater harvesters in Africa's semi-arid regions.

Lydia Kallipoliti will participate on the Waste panel discussion as part of the Ideas City Conference to be held in The Great Hall of The Cooper Union.

The Cooper Union Institute of Sustainable Design and Fourth Arts Block (FABnyc) will present the project Grids Off; Lights On. The project is led by Lydia Kallipoliti and in collaboration with CUISD Fellow Martha Giannakopoulou, Katerina Kourkoula and a student team of engineering, architecture, and art students from The Cooper Union.