2008 Afternoon Speakers

Architecture abhors a vacuum. It never happens in isolation. To Michel Rojkind, founder of rojkind arquitectos in Mexico City, designs have always flown: first from paused listening; and second, from an intense dialogue.

A former rock band drummer, Rojkind is anything but conventional. From projects ranging from an Absolute condominium tower in Mississauga to a vast, mixed-use master plan for Dubai, his passion for architecture is more than a moment of expression or style. In his inspiring presentation, Rojkind will explain how to tackle design challenges from the intimate scale of objects to the intricate magnitude of buildings and master plans while promising to share a few short stories and moments of enlightenment.
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Bruce Mau and Kevin Sugden of Bruce Mau Design along with Reese Duncan, Creative Director for Shaw Contract Group will share their multiple collaborations and partnerships with an array of project types and methodologies to illuminate the power of design and multiple design thinking. His team will feature collaborations with such diverse groups as MTV, Frank Gehry, the country of Guatemala and Massive Change initiatives and will reveal recent work from product to sustainable agendas to communication strategies with Shaw Industries and its brands.
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UrbanLab’s Growing Water project reflects a report from the United Nations that two out of every three people in the world will be facing water shortages by 2025, a situation that will lead to global conflict. The project envisions Chicago evolving into a model city for growing water by creating a series of ”Eco-Boulevard Living Machines” spread democratically throughout the city in order to connect and expand Chicago’s existing parks and waterways. In the very near future, clean water will be the world’s most valuable resource, the new oil.
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