Design in Detroit

School of Architecture Annual Fund

Monday, February 20, 2006
6:00 P.M. - Lawrence J. Plym Auditorium
Temple Hoyne Buell Hall

Ply Architects, Van Tine/Guthrie, StudiozOne
Detroit

Monday's lecture will focus on the state of contemporary architectural design in the city of Detroit. Three emerging Detroit firms will speak individually about their work. Following the presentations, the group of architects will host a panel to discuss salient issues in the design world of Detroit and surrounding areas.

about thespeakers:

PLY Architecture Since the founding of PLY Architecture in 1999, the firm has completed a wide range of projects from the design and construction of furniture up to urban design proposals, from residential projects to interior environments. All of the work is framed by a dedication to the synthesis of materials and craft, and building and landscape. PLY has continued to build experience with every project, acting in the traditional role as architect, working collaboratively with contractors, and taking on the responsibility to build their own designs. The work produced by the firm has consistently reconciled the programmatic concerns of clients against budget and time constraints resulting in projects that transform the expectations and preconceptions of its users. The work of PLY Architecture has been exhibited and published widely both in the United States and internationally.

Van Tine|Guthrie Studio As two of the three founding partners of PDA Architects, Kenneth and Gina Van Tine brought more than a decade of combined design and construction experience to their firm incorporation in 1989. Formed in March 2000 as a new partnership from its predecessor, PDA Architects, Van Tine|Guthrie Studio of architecture has quickly earned a reputation for the progressive work of the three principals, Michael L. Guthrie, Kenneth R. Van Tine, and Gina Van Tine. The firm has received recent peer recognition and community attention for design excellence in acquiring numerous state and local AIA Honor Awards, authoring the winning entry for the Bagley Street Pedestrian Bridge as part of the $120 million Michigan Department of Transportation Ambassador Gateway Project and in June of 2003, was selected as one of eight international finalists out of 1,557 entries to present at the Grand Egyptian Museum Competition Symposium in Cairo, Egypt.

StudiozONE Initially founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994, studiozONE strives to integrate technology and architecture in offering a critical architecture practice. Base in Detroit, Michigan since 1995, the firm's work is positioned as on-going explorations, study and research. The practice has evolved to include construct2, a fluid organization that draws from a network of colleagues around the world. Founded in 1999, c2 is a critical practice structured as a research engine interested in shedding the skin of a traditional firm. c2 positions its investigations through projects dealing with urban, cultural and environmental agendas.

about the exhibit/ reception

An exhibit of work by the three Detroit firms will open in the gallery of Temple Buell Hall on February 20 and continue through the month of March. Following the lecture an opening reception will be held in the gallery and atrium of TBH.

studiozONE/construct2

Initially founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994, studiozONE strives to integrate technology and architecture in offering a critical architectural practice. Based in Detroit, Michigan since 1995, the firm’s work is positioned as on-going explorations, study and research.

The practice has evolved to include construct2, a fluid organization that draws from a network of colleagues around the world. Founded in 1999, c2 is a critical practice structured as a research engine interested in shedding the skin of a traditional firm. c2 positions its investigations through projects dealing with urban, cultural, and environmental agendas.

Principal Collaborators: Julie Ju-Youn Kim and Paul Kevin Matelic

Julie Ju-Youn Kim and Paul Kevin Matelic are original founders/principals of the award-winning practice, studiozONE/construct2, a critical architectural design practice committed to innovative and thoughtful design. The firm engages in investigative research and design from adaptive re-use projects to institutional, residential, and small-scale exhibit installations. In addition to architectural projects, both collaborators have engaged in exhibitions, competitions, scholarly research, and writing. The emphasis of the architectural practice is an exploration of materials, skins/surfaces, technology, ecology and information.

Julie Kim also is currently an Associate Professor with tenure in the School of Architecture at the University of Detroit Mercy in the undergraduate and graduate programs, She teaches the Thesis architectural design studio, a materials seminar, and building construction. Her current research is focused on studies in material culture with particular emphasis on making and of craft. In recognition of her interests, she has been invited to participate as a Guest Editor for Materials Monthly, an innovative resource for the architectural and design community, published by Princeton Architectural Press. Additionally, she is interested in the examination and exploitation of the seam between live and work and how this challenges conventional domestic space. She is active with the American Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and, most recently, lead the effort as co-Chair of the ACSA 2005 Central Regional Conference “Interventions and Experimentation,” held in Detroit in October 2005. Her teaching experience includes the Boston Architectural Center and an International Studio with Lawrence Technological University as a Visiting Professor. She has participated as guest critic at Carleton University, Lawrence Technological University, The University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Clemson University, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Ball State University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Wellesley College and her Master of Architecture from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Paul Matelic also is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Detroit Mercy in the undergraduate and graduate programs, He teaches the Thesis architectural design studio and building construction. His current research is focused on studies in static velocity and fortifications. He engages in research projects that seek to exploit the lines between live/work with a particular interest in eco-logic skins and tectonics. Most recently, his award-winning competition entry for “A House for Durer” was included in international exhibitions in Transylvania and Berlin. His teaching experience includes the Boston Architectural Center as well as the graduate and undergraduate programs at Lawrence Technological University. He was invited to lead the International Studio in Paris from 2003-2004. He has participated as guest critic for the thesis reviews at The University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Lawrence Technological University and his Master of Architecture from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.