School Notes: School of Architecture
March/April 2007

Writing the book on New York architecture

The fourth in a series of books on the history of New York's architecture, New York 2000, was published last November. Authored by School of Architecture dean Robert A. M. Stern ’65MArch, along with David Fishman and Jacob Tilove, the 1,600-page volume documents and interprets the city's architecture and urbanism from the Bicentennial to the Millennium, the period between the city's fiscal crisis and its rebirth as a world capital of finance, media, and culture. (See "In Print," January/February.) Panel discussions on themes in the book, ranging from consideration of the research methodology to assessments of the city's viability, were held in New York in January and February.

An architect's story

The first in-depth biography of Louis I. Kahn, the designer of the Yale Center for British Art and the Yale Art Gallery's 1953 addition, has been published. Louis I. Kahn: Beyond Time and Style, by Carter Wiseman ’68, lecturer at the School of Architecture, details Kahn's life from his childhood in the slums of Philadelphia to his rise as an internationally renowned architect. Wiseman culled personal correspondence and family documents to illuminate Kahn's character and his personal relationships with clients and friends. (See Arts & Culture.)

Studio projects focus on United Arab Emirates

Two advanced studio classes are studying sites in the United Arab Emirates as part of their coursework. Zaha Hadid, the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor, who is designing (with her London office) the performing arts center in Abu Dhabi, has assigned her students to come up with their own design drafts of schemes for the cultural district in that city. Students taking a class with Ali Rahim, the Louis I. Kahn Visiting Assistant Professor, are investigating issues of real estate, finance, and urbanism in the city of Dubai to address the design of a commercial tower. Each of the studio classes traveled to the UAE in February to visit their project areas and become familiar with the fast-growing region.