Judson to host inaugural architecture symposium Sept. 8-9
(Elgin, IL - August 15, 2011) Experts on architecture and urbanism in China will gather for Judson University's first ever architectural symposium on Thursday, Sept. 8 and Friday, Sept. 9.
This inaugural event will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday with a keynote address from Gordon Gill of Chicago-based firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects.
Friday's proceedings, beginning at 8:30 a.m., will feature lectures from expert practitioners and educators such as Dr. Linan Liu of the Beijing University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, and architects from Chicago-based firms including Professor Thomas Kong of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Luke Lueng of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLC; Travis Soberg of Goettsch Partners, Inc.; Clark Baurer of McBride Kelley Baurer Architects; and Paul Sterner of Oculus Architecture Inc.; Dr. Jhennifer Amundson, Judson professor of architectural history and theory, and Judson's Architecture Department Chair Keelan Kaiser will also lead lectures.
Both Thursday and Friday's lectures will be held in Judson's Herrick Chapel. Gill's address is free of admission and open to the public.
Those who wish to attend Friday's lectures may register online at a cost of $50 per person. A closing reception will be held in the Draewell Gallery of the Harm A. Weber Academic Center, a LEED Gold Certified building that houses the Judson University School of Art, Design and Architecture and the university's Benjamin P. Browne Library.
The gallery will feature student work from the architecture programs at Judson University and Beijing University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Guided tours of the Weber Center will be conducted for guests. Refreshments will also be served after the final lecture. To register for the September Symposium, please visit arch.judsonu.edu/symposium.
This first symposium will examine contemporary architectural practice in China and what opportunities exist for engagement with Chinese culture and building disciplines, a result of recently developed ties between Judson's Department of Architecture and the Beijing University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA). Kaiser visited the school this past May to lecture on high performance building design in the United States and invited BUCEA Dean Linan Liu to visit Judson this coming fall. Dean Liu's five-day visit to the university will coincide with the September event.
"The university is making concerted efforts to expand international relations and exchanges," says Kaiser. Kaiser has visited China twice in the past two years for the university, as well as for the National Architectural Accrediting Board, for which he was recently named president-elect for 2011-2012.
The fall symposium will be the first in a bi-annual series open to Judson's architecture students along with Chicago-area businesses, architects, city planners and those interested in working and serving the architectural and manufacturing industries worldwide. Future symposia will have other areas of focus related to practice issues, and will include local practitioners as guests, says Kaiser. The Spring 2012 Symposium will focus on more missional themes, specifically through an evangelical and Christian worldview as it relates to architecture.
Judson University is an evangelical Christian liberal arts university located in Elgin at I-90 and Route 31. It also has a campus in Rockford. Since 1963, Judson University has provided the Fox River Valley with a Christian, liberal arts education by offering four-year degrees in more than 60 majors and minors; graduate programs in architecture, literacy and organizational leadership; and on line and accelerated adult degree program. To learn how you can prepare for a successful career and experience Judson's Christian community, visit JudsonU.edu.