Proxy | envelope a+d

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (August 11, 2011) - The American Institute of Architects, San Francisco chapter (AIA San Francisco) and Center for Architecture + Design (CADSF), in partnership with the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI), present Architecture of Consequence: San Francisco, an exhibition and series of collaborative discussions and dynamic workshops that explore the transformative power of architecture and progressive design.

The human race faces a number of colossal challenges at the dawn of the 21st century. The economic crisis, food and energy shortages, decreased leisure time and weakened social cohesion all impact our lives in new and astonishing ways. While these challenges are daunting, they represent significant opportunity for new design solutions and value propositions. Broadening the notion of value to include long-term social benefits creates new space, both mentally and physically, for fresh ideas and new perspectives.

Initially conceived by the NAI in 2009, Architecture of Consequence: Dutch Designs on the Future is a traveling exhibition that addresses some of these global concerns that place architects at the vanguard of social change. This latest incarnation, Architecture of Consequence: San Francisco, will be the first to add content to the exhibition with the inclusion of new work by Bay Area architecture firms.

Architecture of Consequence: San Francisco features the innovative projects of four Dutch firms and four local firms including:

Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten, Rotterdam - Park Supermarket
OMA/AMO (Office for Metropolitan Architecture), Rotterdam - Zeekracht
ZUS [Zones Urbaines Sensibles], Rotterdam - Re-Public / The Dependence
2012 Architecten, Rotterdam - Villa Welpeloo
envelope a+d, Oakland - Proxy
IwamotoScott Architecture, San Francisco - HYDRO-NET: City of the Future
SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLC), San Francisco - Parkmerced
Fletcher Studio: Landscape Architecture + Urban Design, San Francisco - Beta-Bridge

With eight visions for the future, images to lend force to those visions, strategies for getting there and the force of conviction to see those ideas through, this unique collaboration demonstrates that architects hold the creative vision needed to reshape our future. This exhibition and series will examine diverse topics ranging from holistic engagement strategies to community planning processes, flexible urbanism, alternative energy cultivation and interdisciplinary design.

Beta-Bridge | Fletcher Studio: Landscape Architecture + Urban Design

Companion Programming
For complete information, visit http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City/AoC_Exhibition.htm

Opening Night Reception
August 31, 6:00 pm
Join AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture +Design in welcoming Ole Bouman, Director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute, for opening remarks and a provocative exploration of the changing role of architects and architecture in contemporary society.

IwamotoScott Architecture and Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten: Communities of the Future (2 HSWs)
September 1, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Joined by experts in the fields of global foresight, urban agriculture, micro-economics and environmental policy, Lisa Iwamoto and Craig Scott of San Francisco based IwamotoScott Architecture and Jago Van Bergen of Rotterdam based Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten will lead a discussion that examines how food and energy production can be localized. This cross-cultural dialogue, moderated by Dr. Chris Luebkeman, Director of Foresight and Insight ARUP, will examine IwamotoScott Architecture's HYDRO-NET: City of the Future, a transformative new typology of urban architecture that fosters new social spaces and urban forms and Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten's Park Supermarket, a spatial development model for a national supermarket located in the metropolitan parks of the Netherlands.

envelope Architecture+Design and ZUS [Zones Urbaines Sensibles]: Flexible Urbanism (2 HSWs)
September 20, 2:00 - 4:30 pm
Join Douglas Burnham of envelope architecture+design and Kristian Koreman of ZUS in conversation about flexible urbanism, evolutionary planning and the evolving definition of what it means to be an architect in contemporary society. Based more than 5,000 miles apart, each firm is radically transforming underutilized neighborhood space into vibrant creative compounds. By embracing a human centered design process deeply informed by local values, envelope a+d and ZUS have created radically new approaches to traditional neighborhood development models.

Fletcher Studio and 2012 Architecten:
Radical Reuse (2 HSWs)
September 28, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
Join principal, professor and writer David Fletcher of Fletcher Studio and Jan Jongert of Architecten in an interactive investigation of urban resource reuse and adaptive infrastructure. A vision of Fletcher Studio, Beta-Bridge proposes a radical reinvention and reuse of the soon to be demolished eastern span of the existing Bay Bridge. Beta-bridge will transform from a single-use to a multi-objective, multi-functional infrastructure. Villa Welpeloo is the first residential project completed by 2012Architecten employing the Superuse method, an approach which greatly reduces the construction carbon footprint as a result of material recycling and lower transportation costs. Approximately 60 percent of the building materials were sourced from the villa's immediate surroundings in Enschede, Holland.

SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) and OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture): Sustainable Growth (2 HSWs)
September 12, 6:00 - 9:30 pm
With population growth ever exploding, it is essential for architects to understand the ongoing process of the modernization of cities. Join Craig Hartman of SOM and Reinier de Graaf of OMA as they explore how design, technology and economies of scale enhance cities' sustainable development, social, cultural and economic cohesion. SOM's master plan to re-envision San Francisco's Parkmerced neighborhood represents an unparalleled opportunity to incrementally transform an outmoded, automobile-dependent district into an international example of sustainability. AMO, a design and research studio that is the counterpart to OMA's architectural practice proposed 'Zeekracht', a trans-national ring of off-shore wind farms in the North Sea, drawing energy from the shared territorial waters of 5 nations.

The central exhibition of the 2011 Architecture and the City festival, Architecture of Consequence: San Francisco has been organized by AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design in collaboration with the Netherlands Architecture Institute. This exhibition was made possible through generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Consulate General of the Netherlands. Exhibition printing has been generously sponsored by Bacchus Press and LaserBuilt. Receptions for all events sponsored by Whole Foods.