Home to the Baumer Lecture Series, Knowlton Hall will be hosting two professional architects, Frida Escobedo and Dominic Leong, on Wednesday. Credit: Alison Kim
For the first time ever, the Knowlton School of Architecture will welcome two professional architects — instead of one — to participate in the Baumer Lecture Series.
Every semester, the school hosts numerous seminars as a part of its ongoing Baumer Lecture Series, which enables Knowlton students to learn firsthand from industry professionals whose material they’ve spent an entire semester studying. The fall 2023 lecture series, titled “Adapting to a Wicked World,” highlights how to design in a way that accommodates the world’s ever-changing landscape, according to the school’s website.
Notably, this semester’s series will feature the works of Mexico City-based architect Frida Escobedo and New York-based architect Dominic Leong for the first-ever two-person Baumer Lecture Seminar Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., in Knowlton Hall’s Gui Auditorium.
Andrew Cruse, associate professor of architecture at Knowlton and registered architect, said real-world architecture jobs are infinitely more challenging and complex than the academic training architecture students receive; as such, he said the series aims to break students out of the traditional, solo learning environment they may be accustomed to.
“Training is solitary while practice is collaborative,” Cruse said. “I hope the students can see how engaged practitioners are bringing the ideas that students are exposed to in school to the wider world of practice and how this world offers opportunities not available in school.”
Cruse said the Baumer professorship’s overarching goal is connecting students with working professionals, which makes this semester’s seminar all the more exciting.
“Having two Baumer visitors for the first time this year allows students to see more cutting edge work,” Cruse said. “This will shift the conversation to focus on the discipline within the contemporary world.”
Based in Mexico City, Escobedo is known for having been the youngest architect in several large-scale projects like Kensington Gardens’ Serpentine Pavilion in London and The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new Modern & Contemporary Wing in New York City, according to her website. Notably, she was also the first woman to design a building for the museum, the website states.
Leong’s studio works with forward-thinking clients, cultural enterprises and institutions to build cultural resonance and advance social agendas within the built environment, according to his website. Leong is also a co-founder of Hawai’i Nonlinear, a Honolulu-based nonprofit empowering Indigenous futures through art and architecture, the website states.
Phu Hoang, Knowlton’s head of architecture, said Escobedo defies the traditional boundaries of architecture by creating experimental conservation or temporary projects, while Leong focuses on the aesthetic, social and ecological practices of the pressing issues in the world. Despite their distinct styles, Hoang said their differing experiences will be beneficial to students.
“It is important to see architecture as a conversation, not just a solo voice,” Hoang said. “This could be an unexpected and pleasant surprise as to how they interact and what they share with the public.”
Hoang said Escobedo and Leong will be on campus for two days to speak with students, providing budding architects the opportunity to hear from the expertise of the pros.
“[The two] will have discussions about the students’ work,” Hoang said. “They will provide professional critiques to better them for the workforce.”
Although the seminar is intended for students studying architecture, landscape architecture or city and regional planning, Hoang said the entire Ohio State community is welcome to attend.
“It is important to expose everyone to things outside of Ohio,” Hoang said. “These lectures deal with issues that are relevant in many different disciplines like environmental focuses.”
The Baumer Lecture Series has two additional seminars this semester, which will take place in November and feature two new presenters. More information about these seminars and the series as whole can be found here.
