© Kohn Pedersen Fox

© Kohn Pedersen Fox

© Kohn Pedersen Fox

/ People

Jamie von Klemperer Speaks at Seoul University

KPF President Jamie von Klemperer at the Seoul National University Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering on Friday, April 29th.  Jamie presented his lecture “Open Closed” focusing on the accessibility of buildings through both structure and interconnectivity within neighborhoods. 

Beginning with the arch, Jamie quoted Louis Kahn, reading “Consider the momentous event in architecture when the wall parted and the column became.”

Using a number of KPF projects as case studies, Jamie discussed multiple scales, starting with the bricks and windows at Arizona State University’s McCord Hall and moving on to the programmatically diverse NYU Nursing and Dental School.  Looking at One Vanderbilt, Jamie explored the responsibility a building takes on when it connects to transportation, and its ability to become a crucial stitch in the urban fabric.  Then, analyzing Covent Garden in London, demonstrated the formation of separate buildings combining to create a neighborhood that is accessible, yet maintains distinct character.