Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA | The Power of Beauty
Why do we remember buildings, locations and experiences? Even a place visited in our childhood can conjure emotions that make an impact on us through the memories they create. Lawrence Scarpa will explain the creative process that aspires to make a lasting impression out of even a brief encounter.
Brooks and Scarpa's work is deeply rooted in conditions of the everyday, and works with our perception and preconceptions to allow us to see things in new ways. He does this, not by escaping the restrictions of practice, but by looking, questioning and reworking the very process of design and building, rethinking the way things normally get done – with material, form, construction, even financing – and to subsequently redefine it to cull out it’s latent potentials – making the “ordinary extraordinary.” The seminar will look at building materials innovation and applications, and how it relates to the architectural design process and sustainable design strategies.
About Mr. Scarpa
Lawrence Scarpa has garnered international acclaim for the creative use of conventional materials in unique and unexpected ways. He is also considered a pioneer and leader in the field of sustainable design.
In 2022 Mr. Scarpa received the National AIA Gold Medal, the institute’s most prestigious honor. He has received more than 200 major design awards including twenty-nine National AIA Awards, Architect Magazine’s Progressive Architecture and R+D awards, the HIVE 50 Innovator Award, National AIA Collaborative Achievement Award, AIA Los Angeles Chapter Gold Medal, Architect Magazine’s Top 50 Architecture Firms (ranked 2nd, 4th and 9th respectively), AIA California Council Lifetime Achievement Award, Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, Record Houses, Record Interiors, Rudy Bruner Prize, six AIA COTE “Top Ten Green Building” Awards and was a finalist for the World Habitat Award, one of ten firms selected worldwide. His work has been exhibited internationally including the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, MOCA Los Angeles, A+D Museum and the Smithsonian Museum. He has been featured in NEWSWEEK and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Leonardo Di Caprio. In addition, Interior Design Magazine honored him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. Their firm Brooks + Scarpa was awarded the National and State of California Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects.