Architecture’s Public Programs series to spotlight visionary thinkers

The School of Architecture and Planning will host a distinguished lineup of designers, architects, authors and artists as part of its Fall 2025 Public Programs series.

Free and open to the public, this series of lectures and conversations will explore a variety of thought-provoking topics, from the role of art in a time of climate crisis, to explorations of race and place, to the role of public education in shaping public space.

All events are being held at 6 p.m., in person on the South Campus and via Zoom. RSVP for the lectures at the links below.

The series kicks off Sept. 10 with "Round Timber in Construction," a talk by Lukas Kirschnick, a researcher at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimare. Kirschnick will use illustrative project examples to present the latest findings on the diverse uses of round timber in construction and design.

The remainder of the schedule:

Sept. 17: Ludovico Centis Presents "Reyner Banham: A Set of Actual Tracks". Centis, UB’s 2013-14 Peter Reyner Banham Fellow, will discuss his new book, which brings a contemporary critical lens to Banham’s work.  

Sept. 24: Sydney Gross Memorial Lecture. Visual artist Mary Mattingly will speak about her large-scale public art projects, which explore collectivity, ecological interdependence and the role of artists in imagining alternative futures.

Oct. 6: "Poston Live — Through the Lens of Race & Place." Film director, writer and producer Marlene Shigekawa will examine the historical forces that shaped the creation of the Poston Incarceration Camp where she was born, revealing the cultural, political and economic influences involved. A screening of her short film “The Blue Jay” will follow.

Oct. 8: "Building (and rebuilding) the MATRIX." Journalist and author McKenzie Funk will discuss the surveillance legacy of Hank Asher, the data broker featured in his 2023 book “The Hank Show,” whose work has compiled data on each one of us for use by law enforcement, corporate America and the government.

Oct. 22: Dean’s Lecture: Award-winning designer James Corner will deliver this year’s Dean’s Lecture. For the past 30 years, Corner has shaped landscape architecture and urbanism through such major public projects as Manhattan’s High Line, Chicago’s Navy Pier and Seattle’s Waterfront.

Nov. 19: "Curatorial Design: A Place Between." A panel discussion featuring architect and educator Dubravka Sekulić and School of Architecture and Planning faculty members Joyce Hwang, Erkin Özay and Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah will center on public education and its role in assessing and shaping public space in our current political landscape.