Classicism in Conversation

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: ...

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 dama...

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'...

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...

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. Tho...

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 tradition...

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 class...

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 th...

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...

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...