This event will be conducted in-person in room 315F and through Zoom. 

For in-person attendance, please register in advance here. 
For Zoom attendance, please register in advance here.

The lecture is part of Nora Akawi and Brad Samuels’ ARCH 151 B.Arch Thesis as well as Diana Agrest and Foivos Geralis’ ARCH412 Graduate Design. This event will begin with a presentation by John Lin, co-founder of Rural Urban Framework (RUF), who will discuss the role of architecture in a time of environmental, and social transformation. As we grapple with these challenges, it might be a good time to be an architect. While making architecture is a highly political act, it has shown time and time again, its ability to transcend the politics of its era. Questions about the sustainability of the construction industry, and a shifting cultural and political landscape — might this focus our interest on how to re-use or recylcle more, how to learn from vernacular ways of building, and new means of collective action?

A class conversation and Q&A will follow the presentation.

John Lin will discuss his experiences running an architecture NGO, working with villages on the frontlines of the urbanization process, and building in China through democratic processes of design and construction. He will present case studies of adaptability and ingenuity collected from rural journeys — demonstrating what Bernard Rudofsky called “the untutored imagination of the self-builder.” His recent design projects transform traditional dwellings with new technologies which engage indigenous craftspeople and local communities in the social act of architecture. From the art of building to the art of living. Lin is the 2025 recipient of the CUAA John Q. Hejduk Award.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.