Women architects discuss new trends

While people often associate certain cities with distinctive buildings -- like New York City with the Empire State Building or Seattle with the Space Needle -- experts say the reality is that cities as a whole are becoming increasingly similar in design. In association with the Graduate School of Fine Arts, five notable architects from as far away as Berlin and London addressed that trend, speaking about "Urbanism at the Margins" last Thursday night in Meyerson Hall. The symposium of the second event in the "Women in Design" series began with presentations given by each of the architects on an urban project they had recently completed. Primarily intended for an audience versed in the parlance of architecture, the presentations varied from visions of a futuristic city to the renovation of a registered landmark. "Urbanism doesn't have a single approach or a single design," remarked Homa Fardjadi, a renowned architect based in London. The presentations were followed by a discussion session in which the five distinguished architects addressed questions put forth by the organizers and members of the audience. The first question related to the issue of globalization and the threat of homogenization presented by cities that seem to emulate a design found in the industrialized countries. Opinions about globalization differed among the panelists. "I don't view globalization as necessarily a bad thing," said Lise-Anne Couture, a New York-based architect. "If you go to a McDonald's in New Jersey and then go to the McDonald's on Wall Street, you can notice the difference by the stock ticker on the wall and the man dressed in a tuxedo playing the grand piano." But Fardjadi expressed some doubts, saying that "different colored awnings at McDonald's doesn't equal heterogeneity." The discussion moved on to other issues related to the interaction of architecture with its urban context. According to graduate students in attendance, the event was the first time in their years of study that such a distinguished group of architects has come to Penn. "It's really exciting to have such outstanding architects come together to discuss really compelling issues," said GSFA student Rudabeh Pakravan, an organizer of the event.