Facades+ Los Angeles co-chairs Kevin Kavanagh and Alexander Korter hope to shake things up when the acclaimed conference series returns to Southern California in January.
Senior associate and associate principal, respectively, at CO Architects, Kavanagh and Korter have rethought the event in terms of architecture as process—a theme that also captures their personal approach to design. “Architecture is about managing and manipulating various drivers and influencers in order to enhance and inform design inspiration,” explained Kavanagh. “It’s a creative discipline, but a lot of the external drivers—cost, quality, owners’ preferences—are as much a part of the design process. They shouldn’t be looked at as restrictions, but are ultimately things to work off, that will make [the design] better.”
In other words, said Korter, Facades+ LA’s content will revolve around “bringing process into [architecture], bringing performance into it as an equal partner in designing good, long-term sustainable buildings.” The structure of the event reflects this approach. For the day-long symposium, Kavanagh and Korter worked to balance keynote presentations—which Korter characterizes as “more inspirational, design-driven in traditional terms”—with panels—to be “much more discussion-based, topic-based, and maybe less about case studies.”
Questions posed to and by the panelists may include, for instance, how owners view high-performance facades, and how best to make full and good use of available data streams. “The presentations look backwards, because they’re about work that’s been accomplished,” added Kavanagh. “With the panels, we’re asking, ‘What’s next?’ We’re taking it out of design and asking, ‘What should facades do?'”
“If the presentations are an inspiration and the panels are about areas of interest—very specific points of view—then the workshops are all about implementation,” explained Kavanagh. “The ideal is that the attendees get something very concrete that they can take right into their day-to-day practice.” The workshop offerings on day 2 of Facades+ LA will include deep dives into subjects including commissioning; what role facades play in boosting environmental performance; narratives of project execution; and the development of low-cost, high-performance curtain wall systems.
Kavanagh and Korter quip that their relaxed yet dynamic approach to architecture (and conference planning) may not immediately appeal to Type-A AEC industry professionals. But in the end, they remain convinced that a fresh take will benefit all Facades+ LA participants, from architects to fabricators, builders, engineers, building owners, and academics. “Hopefully there is a little bit of chaos that will make it more fun, a little looser,” said Kavanagh.
For more information on Facades+ LA, visit the conference website. Check back often for up-to-date information on the symposium agenda and workshop offerings.
