Jeanne Gang: Buildings that blend nature and city
With an eye for nature’s forms and lessons learned from its materials, Jeanne Gang creates iconic environments that stand in curvy relief to blocky urban cityscapes. Full bio
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think "architect?"
architects design buildings and cities,
are relationships,
for all kinds of exchange.
are highly specific urban habitats
plants and animals,
are out of balance.
and economic troubles,
and stressing out cities and us,
has provided important insight,
at individual species on their own,
between living things
of the ecosystem are interconnected,
this web of life, that sustains life.
insights from ecology to architecture
can help build stronger relationships.
as the key driver for design.
a center for social justice leadership
that could break down traditional barriers
for meaningful conversations
for cultural exchange.
food together could do that.
to the outside community.
could draw people in
of social justice to be visible
for this kind of space,
and found examples
relationships between people,
where the elders gather.
and at equal eye level.
and take over the meeting.
there's always a central space
and see each other.
with a fireplace and a kitchen.
and a fireplace in a building like this
to the concept, we got it done.
works for big social gatherings
for the very first time.
this three-way intersection
and starting a conversation.
and see something going on.
and share stories.
in big groups or in small ones,
sets up these opportunities.
is about building relationships.
the way you would use bricks.
and anyone can do it --
when they were growing up,
is trapped inside the walls
into the atmosphere.
to taking cars right off the road.
to each other and to the environment.
and nurturing them?
are coming here, for one,
for the Arcus Fellowships.
tenfold for the Arcus Fellowship
people together.
can connect people
could be scaled up --
themselves to being social buildings.
in those awkward elevator rides.
I've been designing tall buildings
relationships between people.
and empty nesters,
if we could use architecture
their neighbors,
in the vertical dimension.
as the new social connectors.
vary slightly and they transition
is that you can actually see people
and say, "Hey!"
during the year,
with digital simulations,
breaks up the wind
more comfortable and less windy.
to go outside on your balcony
the ground plane.
at the same time.
on the building surface
together as couples.
starting groups together
on the building's roof terrace.
can be social connectors,
social cohesion in public buildings
is just not as successful
old police stations,
all over the city.
invested in the process
of these buildings.
everybody gets the same police station,
in the sense of responding
can even do anything
and every tool in our tool kit
have been recommended
design process
to this policy conversation.
and police officers in North Lawndale;
is perceived as a scary fortress
people are afraid of police
near the police station,
new idea for the police station.
a place with a sense of community.
for positive social interactions
at the same time.
as a scary fortress,
on the public side of the station --
from the community members
was just to connect the dots
of the city and the parks,
and design and build a half-court,
the kids are using the courts every day
like this one shown here,
inside the station
to expand the courts
anywhere the station, and now they say
than other courts nearby,
for a haircut at the barbershop
for a birthday party
to meet each other
the officers, and vice versa.
to rebuild trust,
libraries, schools
to be reimagined as social connectors.
for the future is going to require
and I've felt that, too.
in architecture school,
the public in the act of design.
our design against criticism.
reinforcing relationships
than create individual buildings.
and the polarization
this planet we all share.
relationship builders.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jeanne Gang - ArchitectWith an eye for nature’s forms and lessons learned from its materials, Jeanne Gang creates iconic environments that stand in curvy relief to blocky urban cityscapes.
Why you should listen
American architect and MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang is the founding principal of Studio Gang, an architecture and urban design practice based in Chicago and New York. Gang is recognized internationally for her socially engaged design process that foregrounds the relationships between individuals, communities, and environments. Drawing insight from ecological systems, her analytical and creative approach has produced some of today's most compelling architecture, including the Aqua Tower and Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, and the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her current major projects include an expansion of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the next United States Embassy in Brasília, Brazil.
Committed to working on global and local issues, Gang brings design to a wide range of projects beyond architecture's conventional boundaries. She collaborates and innovates with experts across fields on pursuits ranging from the development of stronger materials to fostering stronger communities. Through teaching, speaking, writing, advocacy and advising, she engages with others to make a positive impact at multiple scales.
Jeanne Gang | Speaker | TED.com