Four European and American Experts Weigh In On the Question
MONTRÉAL, April 17, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - As part of its lecture series, Montréal Space for Life is presenting a panel of four international architects and experts to share their views on architecture and nature, at 7:30 p.m. on April 23, in the Montréal Botanical Garden Auditorium. Is green architecture really possible? How can we transform architecture so as to incorporate nature and biodiversity in the built environment, and even help regenerate it?
Seeking creative architecture and design ideas
The four experts on the Architecture & Nature panel are members of the jury for the Space for Life international architecture competition, which is currently underway. These experts, all recognized by their peers as visionaries and free thinkers, will be sharing their ideas with us about how they see architecture evolving to help reconnect humans with their environment:
- The Italian architect Mario Cucinella founded Building Green Futures, a research and training organization focusing on sustainable architecture, particularly in developing countries. Mr. Cucinella feels that taking account of local constraints and users' needs reinforces the empathic creativity and identity of architecture projects. By definition, sustainability cannot be global.
- Édouard François, a French architect and urban planner, produces unique work, including some surprising forms of green housing for major residential development projects. His Tour M6B2, in Paris, and Tour végétale (planted tower), in Nantes, for instance, are fascinating projects combining poetry, biodiversity and architecture.
- Stephen Kellert, an American, teaches social ecology and biophilic design at Yale University. Biophilic design aims to create architectural projects like habitats that nourish our innate and evolutionary need to affiliate with nature.
- The American architect William G. Reed is an internationally recognized sustainable architecture proponent and practitioner. He feels that architecture and development projects must "give meaning to" and help improve the overall quality of the physical, social and spiritual life of our living places.
The Space for Life international architecture competition
The four experts on the Architecture & Nature panel are members of the jury for the Space for Life international architecture competition launched in February of this year. The competition is intended to select designers for the three major projects that will stand as legacies of Montréal's 375th anniversary: the Insectarium Metamorphosis, the Biodôme Renewal and a new Glass Pavilion at the Botanical Garden.
The 2014 lecture series
This spring, the Space for Life lecture series will be presenting some leading speakers and thinkers. The next two lectures will be offered by the botanist Serge Payette (May 7 ), a renowned expert in ecosystems north of the 54th parallel, and the well-known biologist and filmmaker Jean Lemire (May 21). The Architecture & Nature panel is being presented in collaboration with the City of Montréal Bureau du design.
About Space for Life
Montréal Space for Life is made up of four attractions on the same site: the Botanical Garden, Biodôme, Insectarium and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. These four prestigious institutions form Canada's largest natural science museum complex. Together, they are launching a daring, creative urban movement, urging everyone to rethink the connection between humankind and nature and cultivate a new way of living.
For further information and to purchase tickets online, see our website: montrealspaceforlife.ca
| 2014 lecture series
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SOURCE: Espace pour la vie
Caroline Gamache, Marketing Representative, Montréal Space for Life, (514) 868-3038, [email protected]
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