Classicism in Conversation

Latest Episodes:

Cities We Live In: From Atlanta to American Urbanism May 16, 2022

What began as a conversation about the city of Atlanta quickly evolved into a discussion on American urbanism and city planning. In this episode of our mini-series Cities We Live In, our guest is Paul Knight, an urban and architectural designer at Historical Concepts and the Executive Director at the nonprofit Douglas C. Allen Institute for the Study of Cities. Paul kicks off the discussion by posing the question first asked by professor Doug Allen to his seminar students at Georgia Tech: "How did we arrive here, at the corner of 5th Street and West Peachtree in Atlanta?" The answer, as our discussion makes clear, covers vast lineages of design in the western hemisphere: from the concept of the polis in ancient Greece, the urban environments built by the Roman Empire, and all the way to the American cities that sought to capture those same ideals. Human civilization has grappled with the challenges of designing better cities, and ultimately it comes down to how those city plans are laid out in the first place.

Cities We Live In is a study of what makes our favorite cities stand out, and in doing so conveying a need for a return to traditional design principles which make them so beloved. Not simply a history of urban form, Cities We Live In teaches us why good places matter.

Building Science: Masonry Repair, Part I Mar 22, 2022

Our new mini-series Building Science breaks down the technical craft of designing buildings, using amusing anecdotes from a variety of experts. Hosted by building engineer and construction consultant Foster Lyons, this first episode features a rich conversation between four experts who take on the formidable topic of managing the effects of water on masonry buildings. From cornices to quoins, material science to mortar chemistry, and every other factor that protects a building from water damage, their conversation covers a variety of topics for architects and designers who want to learn about designing better buildings, and reveals that those classical design details on older buildings are far more than just decorations.
Foster Lyons, of Foster Lyons Building Science, hosts a four experts in this episode: Peter Marciano, of Legacy Building and Consulting LLC, who has three decades of experience doing building evaluations on flat-roofed masonry buildings in New York City; Christine Williamson, a building scientist, educator, and founder of the Instagram account @BuildingScienceFightClub, an educational project that teaches architects about building science and construction; Anthony Catania, an architect with his own firm who focuses on traditional urban building types, previously from Michael Watkins Architect in Washington D.C.; and Mark Santrach, an urban design consultant with his own firm, Design Reconsidered, previously at Hart Howerton in New York.

At Home with Lauren Hill Mar 09, 2022

Interior designer Lauren Hill welcomes listeners to her home in Ravenswood, a suburb of Chicago. Lauren shares the design choices she implemented to make her home comfortable and welcoming to guests, and discusses why she chose to create a series of separate spaces in her home, instead of using what she calls the "old-school" open floor plan that seems to dominate American suburbs. Homeowners and renters do not always have the means to completely overhaul their spaces, she says, so don't be afraid to mix and match different styles of furniture and artwork: "Eclectic is definitely just my style because of the pieces I've inherited and liked, and how my style has evolved over time."
Our mini-series "At Home" is a vicarious look at today's creatives. These are their stories of what it's like to live as a designer. You can follow the "At Home" mini-series with a special photo log, featured at classicist.org.

20 Questions: The Fate of the Profession Oct 12, 2021

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of young architecture and design professionals met on Zoom to discuss the future of their profession. The conversation began with some prescient observations about how public health considerations might impact the way buildings are designed, but it quickly expanded to a broader discussion about the fields of architecture and design in general. Will human behavior actually change as a result of a public health crisis, if history is any guide? Is there a distinction anymore between the classical and the modern? Should an architect be expected to articulate their reasoning behind every aspect of their design? Even with the benefit of hindsight in looking back at the uncertain early days of the pandemic, listening to their conversation now still raises questions that resonate with centuries of debate about the fate of the profession.

Hosted by Mike Geller of G.P. Schafer Architect, the discussion featured the following speakers (in order of appearance): Kellen Krause of Historical Concepts; Dave Chessrown of N Architects; Kristina Mosco of Ferguson & Shamamian; Karl Landsteiner of Bade Stageberg Cox; Robert Khederian, real estate agent at Compass; Mike O'Neill of Beyer Blinder Belle; Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro of Estudio Urbano; Brent Buck of Brent Buck Architects; and Whitley Esteban of Roman and Williams.

Cities We Live In: Chicago Sep 14, 2021

Classicism in Conversation returns for a new season with another installment of our popular mini-series Cities We Live In. Show host Kellen Krause and architects Anthony Catania and Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro visit Philip Bess, Professor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame, at his home in the Lincoln Square neighborhood in Chicago. Professor Bess shares how his interests brought him to Chicago, and discusses the history that created the modern urban landscape we see today.

Though he initially moved to the city to find a job as an architect, his experiences in the city brought him to the study of urbanism and its impact on the way people live in their environment. He later led Notre Dame's graduate urban design studio on the multi-year project After Burnham: The Notre Dame Plan of Chicago 2109, which he discusses in this episode. As Professor Bess puts it, urbanism is not just about walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods - rather, it encompasses the study of the entire region, including the relationship between the agricultural lands and what Aristotle called the polis.

Cities We Live In: New Orleans Nov 03, 2020

Architect Jacques Levet leads listeners through the history and architecture of New Orleans in this installment of our popular mini-series Cities We Live In. Jacques shares which landmarks of his home city are most inspiring to him as a designer, and discusses how the city's evolution has been affected by the periods of French, Spanish and American control.
Cities We Live In is a study of what makes our favorite cities stand out, and in doing so conveying a need for a return to traditional design principles which make them so beloved. Not simply a history of urban form, Cities We Live In teaches us why good places matter.

At Home with Kevin Clark Sep 29, 2020

Join the ICAA for the latest installment of Classicism in Conversation, featuring Kevin Clark, principal at Historical Concepts. Kevin describes his fascination with traditional, walkable cities, and explains why he relied on classical design when building a home office for his wife, Lynn.
Our mini-series "At Home" is a vicarious look at today's creatives. These are their stories of what it's like to live as a designer. You can follow the "At Home" mini-series with a special photo log on classicist.org.

Lessons from Architecture School Sep 15, 2020

For this special episode, we are proud to feature a roundtable discussion with recent graduates of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. "Lessons from Architecture School" is not a textbook primer about design, but rather a lively conversation about the purpose of architects, the need for classical elements in contemporary designs, and what architects can do to improve the future of their discipline.

The six classmates share laughs about the misconceptions they brought into their first year in the program, commiserate about sleepless nights in the studio, and discuss the essential lessons they absorbed as architecture students.

Moderator Caroline Colella is joined by Victoria Cardozo, Patrick Dunleavy, Matthew Loumeau, Austin Proehl, and Alessandra Turi; all of whom are graduates of the Class of 2020.

Cities We Live In: Milwaukee Aug 31, 2020

In the third installment of our mini-series Cities We Live In, architect Wade Weissmann shares what he loves about his home city of Milwaukee with show hosts Kellen Krause, Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro and Anthony Catania. Discover how the traditional definition of classical design in America has been influenced by industry, history - and even brewing - in places like mighty Milwaukee, and how these powerhouse cities might influence contemporary classical design in our world today.
Cities We Live In is a study of what makes our favorite cities stand out, and in doing so conveying a need for a return to traditional design principles which make them so beloved. Not simply a history of urban form, Cities We Live In teaches us why good places matter.

At Home with James Kaston Aug 17, 2020

Join the ICAA for the latest installment of Classicism in Conversation, featuring James Kaston, who works in the antiques business in New York City. James reminisces on how he ended up in his apartment in Stuyvesant Town, how he has experimented with its layout and decor over the years, and what it means to have "personal taste."
Our mini-series "At Home" is a vicarious look at today's creatives. These are their stories of what it's like to live as a designer. You can follow the "At Home" mini-series with a special photo log at classicist.org.

20 Questions: Architects & Laypeople, with Jeanz Holt & Rich McGovern Aug 06, 2020

In the second entry of our mini-series 20 Questions, listen in on a frank and entertaining conversation between three architects and two "laypeople," as each group asks what they have always wanted to know about the professions of their counterparts. Architects and show hosts Kellen Krause, Anthony Catania, and Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro are joined by Jeanz Holt, an attorney, and Rich McGovern, who works in digital media in New York City. Although all five of our contributors are enthusiastic about architecture - Jeanz and Rich even worked previously for the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art - find out what the enthusiasts have always wanted to know about the professionals, and how the architects think of the "laypeople" who live and work in the buildings they design.

Cities We Live In: Tulsa Jul 20, 2020

In the second entry of our mini-series Cities We Live In, tour the city of Tulsa with architects and urban designers Jennifer and John Griffin, who discuss why they relocated their family to this city that rose to prominence as an energy hub, but has now been named one of the most livable cities in America. Discover why these designers are drawn to Tulsa, and how classical design can innervate twenty-first century cities.
Cities We Live In is a study of what makes our favorite cities stand out, and in doing so conveying a need for a return to traditional design principles which make them so beloved. Not simply a history of urban form, Cities We Live In teaches us why good places matter.

At Home with Michael Geller Jul 06, 2020

Join the ICAA for the latest installment of Classicism in Conversation, featuring architect Michael Geller, who works at ICAA Member firm G.P. Schafer Architect. Michael shares the story of his carefully crafted renovation of his own 495 square-foot apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City. See photos of how they transformed this space on classicist.org.

20 Questions: Kathryn Herman & David Calligeros Jun 23, 2020

For the second episode of Classicism in Conversation, we are joined by David Calligeros of Remains Lighting and Kathryn Herman, ICAA Board Member and principal at Kathryn Herman Design. 20 Questions presents an opportunity to explore what motivates them in their fields and how they draw inspiration, proving that we can learn so much from each other than a few design tips.
The ICAA gratefully thanks Historical Concepts for their generous sponsorship of Classicism in Conversation.

Cities We Live In: Charleston May 27, 2020

Cities We Live In is a study of what makes our favorite cities stand out, and in doing so conveying a need for a return to traditional design principles which make them so beloved. Join Sebastian von Marschall, a resident of Charleston, and three architects and urban designers, who discuss the history and beauty of this American city. Not simply a history of urban form, Cities We Live In teaches us why good places matter.

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