Climate change is a global reality. Increasingly volatile environmental conditions—from rising sea levels and ocean acidification, to extreme temperatures, droughts, and storms—are affecting populations worldwide, with devastating impacts on the livelihoods and welfare of vulnerable communities. Cumulative resource extraction and exploitation have led to an intertwined social and ecological crisis that has depleted local economies, imperiled coastal settlements, and forced migration as a means of survival. GSAPP recognizes climate change as one of the most profound and urgent challenges facing the wellbeing of our societies and planet, and is committed to mobilizing the disciplines of the built environment to respond with expanded knowledge, sustainable methods, and moral responsibility.
This webpage features a collection of resources on GSAPP’s ongoing investigation of Climate. This list will continue to be updated. If you have suggestions or comments, please contact communications@arch.columbia.edu.
February 26, 2021
A two-part panel discussion among Aunnauruq Twyla Thurmond, Maurice Bailey, Whitney Barr, Robin Bronen, Dean Hardy, Radley Horton, Malgosia Madajewicz, Dorothy Peteet, Shavonne Smith, Annauk Denise Olin, Jazz Watts and Kate Orff, Professor and Director of GSAPP’s Urban Design Program.
January 21, 2021
Organized by GSAPP and The Earth Institute at Columbia University, this discussion celebrates the launch of All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis (Penguin Random House, 2020), edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson. A conversation among Wilkinson; Jainey Bavishi; Kate Marvel, and Kate Orff.
November 20, 2020
A workshop hosted by Erica Avrami, Reinhold Martin, Kate Orff, Thaddeus Pawlowski with active participants and guest including Jacqueline Klopp, Christian Braneon, Génesis Abreu, Sonal Jessel, Laurie Schoeman, Arturo Garcia-Costas, Radley Horton, Lisa Dale, Paul Gallay, and other leaders in climate research.
February 18, 2020
Kim Stanley Robinson discusses how we might shape public imaginations toward an embrace of the Green New Deal. Followed by a conversation with Kate Wagner, Maureen Raymo, and Andrew Revkin. Organized by the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, the Earth Institute, and the Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Columbia University.
September 27, 2019
Faculty participants in the Fall 2019 Public Works curricular initiative deliver course presentations. Daniel Aldana Cohen, Hayley Richardson, and Abby Spinak give presentations on public housing, public transportation, and public electricity, respectively. Followed by a conversation moderated by Alyssa Battistoni. Co-organized with the Buell Center.
February 22, 2019
The exhibition Offsetted, conceived and designed by Cooking Sections (Daniel Fernández Pascual and Alon Schwabe), launches a critical debate on the financialization of the environment—from the scale of a city tree to an ecological reserve—and on current forms of environmental justice. Fernández Pascual and Schwabe present their project, followed by a conversation with Mari Margil on environmental rights. Moderated by Felicity Scott. Offsetted: On the Rights of Trees was held in conjunction with the exhibition Offsetted at the Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery.
Listen to Daniel Fernández Pascual and Alon Schwabes in Podcast episode #66
November 9, 2018
While many fields are addressing the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, this event argues that a more focused, historically informed conversation on the roles of architecture, planning, and preservation in both the production and management of these ever-more-frequent emergencies—especially as they pertain to infrastructure—is urgently needed. Presentations by Ivis Garcia Zambrana, Marcelo López-Dinardi, Mark Martin Bras, Andrés Mignucci, Frances Negrón-Muntaner, and Ingrid Olivo, followed by a conversation with Hiba Bou Akar and Monxo López. Co-organized by the Buell Center.
### A Year Without a Winter
September 22, 2017
This discussion centers on the GSAPP publication A Year without a Winter, which brings together science fiction, history, visual art, and exploration to reframe the relationship between climate, crisis, and creation. Contributors Dehlia Hannah, Gillen D’Arcy Wood, and Vandana Singh join the book’s editor James Graham in conversation. Organized by Columbia Books on Architecture and the City.
April 14, 2017
The Empire Remains Shop, a public installation that opened in 2016, speculates on the possibility and implications of selling back the remains of the British Empire in London today. This event features a conversation among Cooking Sections (Daniel Fernández Pascual and Alon Schwabe), James Graham, and Jesse Connuck.
April 7, 2017
This event features a discussion on the critical role that cities play in driving the agenda on climate change, and the steps federal governments must take to assist cities in their efforts to respond to the vast environmental, economic, and cultural impacts. Participants include Adam Freed, Jeffrey Hebert, Kate Orff, Rodrigo Rosa, Weiping Wu, and Michael Kimmelman.
April 6, 2017
New York 2140: Kim Stanley Robinson, April 6, 2017
Presentation by Kim Stanley Robinson on the release of his latest novel, New York 2140 (Orbit, 2017) followed by a conversation with Reinhold Martin. Co-Organized by the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, Columbia GSAPP, and Orbit Books.
November 29, 2016
The research project Air Drifts revisits trans-boundary air pollution to analyze how localized toxic particulates drift into new territories of global responsibility. Participants include Kadambari Baxi, Janette Kim, Meg McLagan, David Schiminovich, and Mark Wasiuta. Organized by the Buell Center.
September 24, 2014
Naomi Klein and Kate Orff are joined by Laura Kurgan for a conversation on the practical and political challenges of planning for climate change, and how to build a more equitable world in the process.
February 1, 2021
Kéré is an internationally renowned Burkinabè architect, recognized for his pioneering approach to design and sustainable modes of construction. His vocation to become an architect comes from a personal commitment to serve the community he grew up in, and a belief in the transformative potential of beauty. In conversation with Amale Andraos, Dean of Columbia GSAPP.
January 22, 2021
Mazria is an internationally recognized architect, author, researcher, and educator. Over the past decade, his seminal research into the sustainability, resilience, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions of the built environment has redefined the role of architecture, planning, design, and building, in reshaping our world. In conversation with Amale Andraos, Dean of Columbia GSAPP and Alex Halliday, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
November 6, 2019
Drawn from the vernacular heritage of Pakistan, Yasmeen Lari has specially developed low carbon and low-cost structures that can withstand earthquakes and floods, in what she calls ‘barefoot architecture’ that treads lightly on the planet. She works directly with marginalized communities by supplying the technical knowledge and training for people to take charge of their lives and build structures that are resilient to and prepared for frequent extreme weather.
November 6, 2019
Sennett’s talk examines how society grapples with issues related to climate change, including states of denial, climate refugees, democratic actions in response to climate change, and the balance between adaptation and mitigation. Response by Weiping Wu.
October 14, 2019
Jamil speaks about how her Kuala Lumpur-based firm creates opportunities for structural and material experimentation. Highlighted projects include Shadow Garden Pavilion in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia; Bamboo Terrace Homes; and an Engineering Laboratory. Response by Hilary Sample.
The Kenneth Frampton Endowed Lecture
September 23, 2019
Tabassum states that the most important elements for her Dhaka-based practice in creating architecture are place, time, and context. The lecture discusses the Independence Monument and Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Bangladesh, and research on processes for designing and building in rural Bangladesh. Response by Kenneth Frampton.
Listen to Marina Tabassum in Podcast episode #77
February 18, 2019
Sheppard, co-founder of Lateral Office, discusses the firm’s commitment to design as a research vehicle to pose and respond to complex, urgent questions in the built environment, engaging in the climate and wider context of a project—including its social, ecological, or political dimensions. Response by Andrés Jaque.
Listen to Lola Sheppard in Podcast episode #65
The Kenneth Frampton Endowed Lecture
October 29, 2018
Kongjian Yu delivers the lecture “Creating Deep Connections and Deep Forms,” which presents his pioneering research on “ecological security patterns” and “sponge cities.” This research has been adopted by the Chinese government as the guiding theory for national land use planning, eco-city campaigns, and urban ecological restoration. Response by Kenneth Frampton.
Listen to Kongjian Yu in Podcast episode #59
October 22, 2018
David Benjamin introduces the work of his firm The Living. Situated at the intersection of biology, computation, and design, The Living strives for “living, breathing architecture.” Recent work includes research on mycelium and agricultural waste-based structures; embodied energy; and an “Open Source Building” at Princeton. Response by Amale Andraos.
Listen to David Benjamin in Podcast episode #37
October 9, 2017
James Wines’ lecture “Arch-Art: A Conduit to Context: The Role of Buildings in Social Change” introduces a body of work that fuses art, architecture, landscape, and surrounding environmental context. Highlighted projects include Avenue Number Five Park in Seville, Spain; Ross’s Landing Park and Plaza in Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Antilia Tower in Mumbai, India. Response by Dan Wood, Andrés Jaque, and Prem Krishnamurthy.
Listen to James Wines in Podcast episode #30.
November 21, 2016
Anupama Kundoo’s lecture “Building Knowledge: An Inventory of Strategies” discusses her installation at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, which presented a low-cost modular home and a prefabricated toilet. Kundoo elucidates how her material research and experimentation produce an architecture with low environmental impact and sensitivity to socio-economic contexts. Response by Lise Anne Couture.
Listen to Anupama Kundoo in Podcast episode #22.
November 14, 2016
Fulong Wu introduces his book “Planning for Growth: Urban and Regional Planning in China,” which provides an overview of the changes in China’s planning system, policy, and practices. Response by Weiping Wu
October 24, 2016
Emilio Ambasz presents several projects including Casa de Retiro Espiritual in Seville, Spain; Fukuoka Prefectural Hall in Japan; and Glory Art Museum in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan. Ambasz unpacks how his work reconciles man-made and natural structures. Response by Amale Andraos.
Catherine Murphy, Spring 2021, Architecture
Reinhold Martin, Spring 2021, Architecture
Adam Freed, Spring 2021, Urban Planning
Jorge Otero-Pailos, Spring 2021, Historic Preservation
David Benjamin, Fall 2020, All programs
Sean Gallagher, Fall 2020, Architecture
Davidson Norris, Fall 2020, Architecture
Ariella Maron, Fall 2020, Urban Planning
Andrés Jaque, Fall 2020, Architecture
Thaddeus Pawlowski, Fall 2020, Urban Planning
Kate Ascher, Christoph Kumpusch, Spring 2020, Architecture and Real Estate Development
David Benjamin, Spring 2020, Architecture
Lindsey Wikstrom, Spring 2020, Architecture
Malo Hutson, Spring 2020, Interdisciplinary
Graham Trelstad, Spring 2020, Urban Planning
Anthony Borelli and Graham Trelstad, Spring 2020, Urban Planning
Peter Marcotullio, Spring 2020, Urban Planning
Kate Orff (Coordinator), Lee Altman, Adriana Chavez, Dilip da Cunha, Geeta Mehta, Thaddeus Pawlowski, Julia Watson, and Fitsum Gelaye
Spring 2020, Urban Design
Erica Avrami, Spring 2020, Historic Preservation
Sybil Wa and Jason Brody, Spring 2020, Urban Planning
David Benjamin, Fall 2019, Building Science Technology
Ebru Gencer, Fall 2019, Urban Planning
Kate Orff, Fall 2019, Urban Design
Thaddeus Pawlowski, Fall 2019, Urban Planning
Phu Hoang, Fall 2019, Architecture
David Benjamin, Fall 2019, Architecture
Marc Tsurumaki, Fall 2019, Architecture
Bryony Roberts, Fall 2019, Architecture
Andrés Jaque, Fall 2019, Architecture
Ariella Maron & Douglas Woodward, Fall 2019, Urban Planning
Kaja Kühl, Fall 2019, Urban Design
Davidson Norris, Fall 2019, Architecture
Michael Adlerstein, Fall 2019, Real Estate Development
Kate Orff, Fall 2019, Urban Design
Stuart Brodsky, Summer 2019, Real Estate Development
Heather Davis, “To Live in Compromised Worlds: Holly Jean Buck’s After Geoengineering,” in the Avery Review 45 (February 2020).
Reinhold Martin, “Sacred Ground: The Big Easy in the Big Apple,” in the Avery Review 40 (May 2019).
Ivonne Santoyo-Orozco, “Potemkin Infrastructure,” in the Avery Review 40 (May 2019).
Alison Brunn, “Two Islands,” in the Avery Review 41 (September 2019).
Maria Alejandra Linares, “Reforming ‘Resilience,’ Erasing ‘Climate’,” in the Avery Review 43 (November 2019).
Kadambari Baxi, “Notes on Kochi (Biennale) and Katowice (Climate Summit),” in the Avery Review 38 (March 2019).
James Graham, “Making Coal Historical (a Road Trip),” in the Avery Review 35 (December 2018).
Elsa Hoover, “The Temporary Logics of Extraction: Tracing Architecture’s (Neo)Colonial Deployment at Three Scales,” in the Avery Review 31 (April 2018).
Shela Sheikh, “Translating Geontologies,” in the Avery Review 21 (January 2017).
Amale Andraos, “What Does Climate Change (For Architecture)?,” in the Avery Review 16 (May 2016).
Discover more highlights in the “Climates of Extraction” by the Avery Review.
Homepage Image Credit:
Studio travel to Pune, India by MSAUD students and faculty as part of the Spring 2019 Urban Design Studio III
Project by Cris Liu for the Fall 2020 “Anti Clearance” Advanced Architecture Studio 6 led by Andrés Jaque.
“A ‘Wicked Problem’: Post-Wildfire Restructuring in Exurban San Diego” by Kate Galbo, Ri Le, and Rawnak Zaman completed during the Spring 2020 Advanced Spatial Analytics course led by Anthony Vanky.
