Talks at the RIBA - architeria.eu

Listings and information for forthcoming talks and events at the RIBA
Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, London W1

Please note that all talks are £8/£5 concessions unless otherwise stated. Advance booking is essential
via www.architecture.com/programmes or 010 7307 3699


LE CORBUSIER TALKS

LE CORBUSIER TALKS AT THE RIBA

Beatriz Colomina E.1027: A House of Ill Repute
Wednesday 11 March, 18.30
Beatriz Colomina, Professor of Architecture and Founding Director of the Program in Media and Modernity
at Princeton University, explores Le Corbusier’s complex relationship towards the architect and designer
Eileen Gray and his obsession with E.1027, the seaside villa, Gray built at Roquebrune Cap in 1929.
Colomina also discusses the central role of Le Corbusier’s Cabanon, the small wooden shack which
he built on the adjacent property.

In Conversation with Mario Bellini
Tuesday 17 March, 18.30
Mario Bellini, the celebrated architect and designer, talks about the inspiration for his work, often noted for
its sculptural nature and tactility. Since the early 1960s Bellini has built up a practice ranging from architecture
and urban planning to product, furniture and automobile design, working with firms that have included
Fiat, Olivetti and Cassina.

Arthur Rüegg Equipping the Cabanon: Its Interior and Furniture
Monday 23 March, 18.30
Arthur Rüegg, co-curator of Le Corbusier – The Art of Architecture, discusses the background to
the Cabanon's extraordinary interior – from its box-shaped furniture to its murals and fittings, tracing
the evolution of its design as a space containing all the essential elements of dwelling, to Le Corbusier's
wider theory and practice, and his ideas on minimal living.

Valerio Olgiati
Tuesday 24 March, 18.30
Eminent Swiss architect, Valerio Olgiati, Professor of Architecture at the Accademia di architettura Mendrisio,
Università della Svizzera Italiana, discusses his work, including major architectural projects such as
the schoolhouse in Paspels, the Yellow House in Flims, the new university in Lucerne and the museum
for the Swiss National Park in Zernez, Switzerland.

Peter Zumthor Dreaming of Buildings to Come True
Tuesday 31 March, 18.30
Internationally acclaimed Swiss architect, Peter Zumthor talks about his work. Zumthor’s buildings explore
the tactile and sensory qualities of places, spaces and materials and his philosophical belief that architecture
must be experienced first hand. In 1998, Zumthor received the Carlsberg Architecture Prize for his designs
of the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Bregenz, Austria and the Thermal Baths at Vals, Switzerland

Corb and Intimate Space
Tuesday 7 April, 18.30 - Gallery Talk (Free admission, booking essential)
Join Vicky Richardson, Editor of Blueprint to discover how the Cabanon, along with his designs for furniture
and objects give a unique and personal insight into Le Corbusier.

The Cabanon: Holiday House, Retreat or Primitive Hut?
Tuesday 28 April, 18.30 – Gallery Talk (Free admission, booking essential)
Discover the story behind the Cabanon. Rob Wilson, RIBA Trust, discusses how it can be viewed in the
context of a long and distinguished history of minimal spaces designed as places of retreat

On the Menu: Le Corbusier
Library Workshops
By appointment The RIBA British Architectural Library offers an unparalleled opportunity to investigate
the career and influence of Le Corbusier. Sourced from the internationally-renowned book, photograph,
drawing and archive collections, a number of 45-minute workshops on different topics are available
by appointment to H.E. students, amenity groups and the general public. For details of the individual
workshops, plus booking details, please visit www.architecture.com/librarydrawingsandphotographs.
Free for all schools and higher education institutions


LE CORBUSIER TALKS AT THE V&A

Building the Unbuilt: Le Corbusier and the Olympic Stadium Project
Thursday 29 January, 13.00–14.00 Meet at the Grand Entrance, 12.55
Join Dr Irena Murray, RIBA British Architectural Library, to examine the Olympic Stadium Project display.
Free and drop-in (please note, numbers are limited).

Curator Talk by Peter Carl
Wednesday 4 Feb, 13.15-14.00
Peter Carl, University of Cambridge and Dr Irena Murray, RIBA British Architectural Library, talk about
The Olympic Stadium Project display. Free, booking essential on www.vam.ac.uk/tickets or 020 7942 2211.

Study Day - Introducing Le Corbusier
Saturday 14 March, 14.00–17.30
Take part in a day that surveys the main tenets of Le Corbusier's ideas and presents a selection of his most
important buildings and designs. Led by architectural historian Barry Curtis, with presentations
from Alan Powers and Matthew Taunton. Tickets: £20, concessions available. Book now
on www.vam.ac.uk/tickets or call 020 7942 2211


LE CORBUSIER TALKS AT THE BARBICAN

Le Corbusier – The Art of Architecture talks programme is presented by Barbican in partnership
with the RIBA Trust and generously sponsored by Ryder Architecture
Thursday Late Talks are £5 and are preceded at 18.30 by gallery talks from acclaimed architects as part of
the Architects of the 21st Century series. For full information and bookings, visit www.barbican.org.uk/
lecorbusier or call 0845 121 6826. Further highlights at the Barbican include: family activities as part of the Do
Something Different Weekend, Sat 7 – Sun 8 March and Le Corbusier and Art Open University Study Day,
Sat 21 March. Visit www.barbican.or.uk/lecorbusier for details

Arthur Rüegg Autobiographical Interiors and Objects
Thursday 19 February, 19.30
Arthur Rüegg, Le Corbusier – The Art of Architecture curator, talks about Le Corbusier’s interiors
and how drew inspiration from the vernacular, industrial and art objects he collected and displayed.

Jean-Louis Cohen The Lyricism of Architecture in the Machine Age
Thursday 26 February, 19.00
Explore Le Corbusier’s unique and complex body of work with Jean-Louis Cohen, Sheldon H. Solow Chair
for the History of Architecture, New York University Institute of Fine Arts.

Marcus du Sautoy and Sir Peter Cook Architecture and Mathematics
Thursday 5 March, 19.00
Marcus du Sautoy, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, Oxford University, writer and
presenter of the recent BBC4 series The Story of Maths and Sir Peter Cook, architect, recipient of the Royal
Gold Medal 2004, presented by the RIBA, and co-founder of Archigram, discuss how mathematics is key
to architectural structure and form.

Beatriz Colomina Towards a Mediatic Architecture
Thursday 12 March, 19.30
Beatriz Colomina, Professor of Architecture and Founding Director of the Program in Media and Modernity,
Princeton University, gives an insightful interpretation of Le Corbusier’s perspective on domesticity,
mediation, collaboration and femininity. Chaired by Dr Irena Murray, Sir Banister Fletcher Director,
RIBA British Architectural Library.

William J.R. Curtis Le Corbusier at Work
Thursday 19 March, 19.30
William J.R. Curtis, architectural historian and leading scholar, explores Le Corbusier's creative process,
his use of drawings in the genesis and exploration of architectural ideas, his methods of work and
techniques of representation, and his transformation of the past and of nature when inventing forms.
Chaired by Charles Knevitt, Director, RIBA Trust.

City Planning for the 21st Century
Thursday 26 March, 19.30
What makes a successful city? Including Joseph Rykwert, Peter Rees, Ricky Burdett and Paul Finch.

Chandigarh: Le Corbusier in the Punjab
Thursday 2 April, 19.30
The Chandigarh Catalogue – documenting of the modernist city, with Patsy Craig, Jonathan Nicholls,
Sunand Prasad, Barry Curtis and Joe Kerr

Design for the Interior
Thursday 16 April, 19.30
Cassina invite you to a discussion on classic modern and contemporary furniture and interiors.

Marc Trieb Le Corbusier and the Philips Pavilion
Talk Thursday 23 April, 19.30
Marc Trieb, University of California, Berkeley explores the history of the Philips Pavilion and the significance
of Le Corbusier’s collaborations with Edgard Varèse and Iannis Xenakis. Chaired by Adrian Forty, UCL.

Eva Jiricna Communicating with Le Corbusier
Talk Thursday 30 April, 19.30
Architect Eva Jiricna, considers Le Corbusier’s correspondence and conversations.

Vu-topia- Le Corbusier Film Season
28–29 March, 18.00 and 20.00
Le Corbusier embraced film as a media to convey his architectural ideas. This weekend film series presents
shorts and features spanning 75 years of film-making, exploring architectural utopian fantasies and
cautionary dystopias from Le Corbusier’s Plan Voisin to eco-architect Michael Reynolds’ Packaged Earthship
for sustainable living. Film highlights include H.G Wells’ landmark Things to Come (1936) and George Lucas’
first feature THX1138 (1971). Presented in partnership with Barbican Film as part of a season exploring
the vision and legacy of Le Corbusier on screen.
£9.50 (£7.50 online) For information and tickets visit www.barbican.org.uk/lecorbusier Curated by Building
Futures, an RIBA initiative


EMERGING ARCHITECTURE

The tenth Architectural Review Awards for Emerging Architecture recognises excellence in realised work
by architects under 45. The RIBA continues to celebrate the Awards this spring with a series of talks
by eight of the winning and commended architects. Alongside the talks, don’t miss the Emerging
Architecture exhibition, in the Florence Hall until 28 February.
Tickets - £8/£5 concessions

Emiliano Lòpez and Monica Rivera Arquitectos + SMAQ
Tuesday 27 January, 18.30
Barcelona-based architects Emiliano López and Mónica Rivera established their practice in 2001, focussing
primarily on public works through competitions. They will talk about their project Hotel Aire de Bardenas
in Navarre. SMAQ is a collaborative studio for architecture, urbanism and research based in Berlin.
Cofounder Andreas Quednau talks about how infrastructure, environmental conditions and patterns
of usage are a means to create architecture and to generate environments.

junya.ishigami+associates + 70°N
Tuesday 3 February, 18.30
Junya Ishigami presents his competition entry and first completed building, the Facility at Kanagawa Institute
of Technology. The work of this Japanese practice has included gallery installations and the design
of the Japanese Pavilion at the 2008 Venice Biennale. Gisle Løkken, founding partner, discusses
how, through experimentation and dialogue 70°N arkitektur has developed projects which span
a broad spectrum of architectural practice: buildings, landscape, urbanism, processes, theory,
collaboration and participation.

Anna Heringer + DSDHA
Tuesday 10 February, 18.30
Anna Heringer presents projects that are the results of a handson workshop for students conducted in
a remote rural area of Bangladesh. Here they were forced to concentrate on the basic needs of the clients
and create intelligent designs that made the most of existing resources. DSDHA is a London practice
established by David Hills and Deborah Saunt. Their work blurs the boundaries between landscape
and architecture, art and urbanism, and questions preconceptions of the city.

Brut Deluxe, Architects + Alberto Mozó Studio
Tuesday 17 February, 18.30
Brut Deluxe, based in Madrid and Lisbon, focuses on the investigation and creation of space and its
atmospheric qualities. Ben Busche and Isabel Barbas show a ran


OTHER TALKS & DEBATES in chronological order - please note different locations

BUILDING FUTURES DEBATE
This House Believes that Concepts of Professional Ethics are Outdated
Tuesday 10 February, 19.30, Business Design Centre, Islington
Featuring contributions from RIBA president Sunand Prasad, architect Irena Bauman and writer and architect
Nicholas Ray, the evening asks whether an architect should take on new ethical considerations for
the 21st century economic reality or indeed if they need to. Hosted as part of the Surface Design Show.
Free but booking is essential. For tickets and further information please email buildingfutures@inst.riba.org
www.buildingfutures.org.uk

Gareth Hoskins People and Place
Talk Monday 16 February, 18.30
After his first very successful decade of independent practice, and now with an increasingly international
workload, Gareth Hoskins will present some of his key architectural projects and discuss his unique
approach. Chaired by Hugh Pearman, Editor of RIBA Journal This talk accompanies the exhibition,
Gareth Hoskins Architects 0–10 Years. See page 15 for details.

Álvaro Siza Royal Gold Medal Lecture 2009
Talk Wednesday 25 February, 18.30
The 2009 Royal Gold Medal is awarded to Álvaro Siza in recognition of his outstanding and ongoing contribution
to architecture. Approved personally by Her Majesty the Queen, the Medal is given annually to a person
or group of people whose influence on architecture has had a truly international effect. Álvaro Siza
discusses his work in the Gold Medal lecture, including completed buildings such as Leça da Palmeira
swimming-pool, Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto, Southern Municipal District Center, Rosario,
Argentina and the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2005, London. Siza has been presented with many awards
including the 1992 Pritzker Prize and the Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture in 1988.
Tickets: £12 each (£10 concessions).

Palladio, Lord Burlington and English Palladianism
Talk Tuesday 17 February, 13.00–14.00 Victoria and Albert Museum, London Meet at the Grand Entrance,
12.55, Free entry
In Palladio’s quincentenary year, examine the RIBA’s treasury of drawings by Palladio, Inigo Jones and Lord
Burlington with Charles Hind, RIBA Trust. Free and drop-in (please note, numbers are limited). Don’t miss
seeing the RIBA’s collection of Palladio drawings at the exhibition Andrea Palldio: His Life and Legacy
at the Royal Academy of Arts

Building in Print: Palladio workshops (by appointment)
RIBA and V&A Drawings and Archives Collection
RIBA British Architectural Library H.E. students, amenity groups and the general public can now make use
of the RIBA Library’s unrivalled collection of Palladio drawings, books and other early printed architectural
texts with a selection of workshops, available by appointment. For full details visit www.architecture.com/
palladio

BUILDING FUTURES DEBATE
This House Believes the Urban Renaissance Never Happened
Wednesday 18 March, 19.00 BDP Hub, Clerkenwell
With the financial downturn severely weakening the property market and exposing our reliance on commercial
giants, the evening asks how much of what has been built is desirable in the long term? Have we learned
to love our cities or has the renaissance of our urban centres simply failed? Free but booking is essential.
For tickets and further information please email buildingfutures@inst.riba.org www.buildingfutures.org.uk

A Closer Look at Health Centres
Talk Tuesday 24 March, 13.00–14.00 Victoria and Albert Museum, London Meet at the Grand Entrance,
12.55, Free entry
Take part in a discussion on the design of health centres before the advent of the National Health Service
in 1948.

Mere Pattern Making
Talk Tuesday 7 April, 13.00–14.00 Victoria and Albert Museum, London Meet at the Grand Entrance,
12.55, Free entry
From Owen Jones to FAT andKoolhaas, why do architects love making mere patterns? With Edward Blake,
RIBA Building Futures.


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Text and logo: The Royal Intitute of British Architects