The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Environmental Design (EVDS) presents Adam Caruso of Caruso St. John Architects (London, UK) as part of its Design Matters lecture series at 7:00pm on Thursday, January 6, 2011. The event takes place at the Uptown Stage located at 612 8th Avenue SW in Calgary.
Adam Caruso states, “Western architecture is more than 2,500 years old, and when making work today, one should be able to draw upon the full range of our discipline’s rich history. I am skeptical that abstraction and simplification are sufficient themes to make a valid contemporary architecture. Our work is based on the idea that one single theory, one narrative alone cannot grasp the complexity of conditions in which the contemporary architect must work.”
Based on the example of a number of current projects in his London-based practice, Caruso will discuss the firm’s work in its physical and social context, while revealing the architects and architecture of the past that have been influential in their design discussions.
The Caruso St. John practice came to public attention with the New Art Gallery in Walsall, a commission won in an international competition in 1995. Current clients include Tate Britain, the V&A, English Heritage and the Arts Council of England, as well as European housing developers Trudo, the SBB (Swiss National Railways) and the Gagosian Gallery.
Caruso studied architecture at McGill University in Montreal. He and Peter St. John established their practice in 1990 as Caruso St. John Architects, and have gained an international reputation for excellence in designing contemporary projects in the public realm. Adam Caruso has taught at numerous institutions, including the University of North London, the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, the ETH Zurich, and the London School of Economics. For further information, please visit www.carusostjohn.com.
The Master of Architecture Program in EVDS is pleased to announce that Adam Caruso of Caruso St. John Architects (London, UK) is the 2011 William Lyon Somerville Visiting Lecturer. In addition to the Design Matters lecture, Caruso will direct a five-day design workshop with students from January 3-7, 2011.