Avenida Portugal, Madrid Public Space Development (Courtesy of West 8)
Founded in 1987 by principal Adriaan Geuze, West 8 uses “ecology, infrastructure, weather conditions, cultural influences, historical gestures, building programs…in a playful and engaging manner to encourage the public to understand and take ownership of spaces.” Based in Rotterdam, West 8 is a multidisciplinary landscape and urban design practice with an international team of 75 architects, urban designers, landscape architects, and industrial engineers. Recent and current projects, include the Toronto Urban Waterfront Revitalization; Parque Lineal de Manzanares, Madrid; Jubilee Gardens, London; Buona Vista Park, Singapore; Schiphol Amsterdam International Airport; Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam; Chiswick Business Park, London; and Expo ‘02 in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland.
Recently won competitions include Playa de Palma in Mallorca and Sewer Plant Diezemond in Den Bosch, Netherlands. In 2007, a design team led by West 8 won the competition to design the Governors Island Park and Great Promenade.
West 8 has won numerous design awards, such as the Dutch Maaskant Award in 1995 and the Rosa Barba First European Landscape prize in 2002. Geuze was presented with the Veronica Rudge Green Prize for Urban Design from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 2002. In 2005, he was the curator for the 2nd International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam.
Geuze attended the Agricultural University of Wageningen where he received a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture. A recipient of the Prix-de-Rome, Geuze is currently a Visiting Professor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the secretary of the SLA Foundation (Surrealistic Landscape Architecture), which increases public awareness of the profession. Past positions have included Editor, Archis Magazine; Professor, Delft University of Technology; and as a board member of the Netherlands Architecture Institute.
Tickets are free for Architectural League members, AIA New York members, and Cooper Union faculty, students, and staff; tickets may be reserved by e-mailing [email protected]. All others may purchase 10 Dollars non-refundable tickets, beginning November 11 until six hours before the program start. Limited tickets will be available for purchase at The Great Hall of the Cooper Union the evening of the lecture. AIA NY members and Cooper Union faculty, students, and staff must also present membership/ID cards upon check-in. AIA and New York State continuing education credits are available.
Co-sponsored by the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, and The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union. The League acknowledges the support of the Netherlands Consulate General, New York for this program. This program was made possible in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.