Please join CSU as we welcome our honorary guest speaker Stan Eckstut, Principal, Perkins Eastman and moderator Rick Bell, FAIA, 2023 CSU President on Wednesday, September 20, 2023 from 12:30-1:30pm ET for our next Green Cities Event of 2023!
“Thoughts on Reimagining Urban Sites,” is a mini-documentary about placemaking and the creation of iconic public spaces. Produced by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) — a private non-profit involved in historic preservation— the documentary features the thoughts and ideas of Stanton Eckstut, a pioneering architect who has designed significant public spaces in cities across the United States.
Eckstut, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and a longtime collaborator of PHLF, whose thinking has helped the organization better understand how to utilize historic buildings in large-scale developments over the years, offers ideas on how to redevelop urban sites while walking the grounds of one of his recent projects, The Wharf, in Washington, D.C.
Through his vision, the film explores the reimagined value, utility, and human scale of the historic Wharf. We see how Eckstut’s singular vision and approach to architecture as a practice of designing large-scale, mixed-use developments brings a distinctive sense of enjoyment of the built environment. Eckstut’s reputation as an innovator and leader in large-scale architecture was forged more than 30 years ago when he worked on the master plan for New York City’s Battery Park City. His work has since focused on strengthening the urban fabric of cities nationwide by creating centers of social and civic activity.
As Eckstut has said, “Even my smallest buildings are about being part of a larger community.” This mini- documentary is a production of PHLF’s education and advocacy programs highlighting the importance of adaptive use and the preservation of historic buildings and places.
Click here to watch the video: Thoughts on Reimagining Urban Sites
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), a private non-profit organization, works to identify and save historically significant places; renew historic neighborhoods, towns and urban areas; preserve historic farms and designed landscapes; and to educate people about the Pittsburgh region’s rich architectural heritage.
www.phlf.org
Event Recording
Speaker
Stan Eckstut, Principal, Perkins Eastman
As a strong ambassador for placemaking and the creation of iconic public spaces, Stan’s work focuses on large-scale, mixed-use developments that emphasize well-being, integrated design, timelessness and a lasting sense of place.
Moderator/ Host
Rick Bell, FAIA, 2023 CSU President
Rick Bell is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia and Acting Director of its Center for Buildings, Infrastructure & Public Space. He was previously at the NYC Dept. of Design and Construction as Assistant Commissioner and Director of Design & Construction Excellence.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Describe how The Wharf project in Washington DC demonstrates how to learn from others and from the past.
2. Discuss how successful urban environments enjoyed by the public place emphasis on the public realm.
3. Identify how sustainable urban projects of this nature get started and use existing resources.
4. Illustrate how the underlying principles and urban design attributes seen in The Wharf project relate to a
combination of public and private spaces working together in partnership.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from leading experts and join the conversation about shaping a greener, more livable, and more resilient future for our cities!
CO-SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS FOR GREEN CITIES 2023
Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization, UN-Habitat, AIA New York, AIANY Planning & Design, the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, Habitat Professionals Forum for Sustainable Cities, Perkins-Eastman, Creative Exchange Lab, Columbia Center for Buildings, Infrastructure & Public Space and Global Urban Development (GUD)