In this episode of Talking Practice , host Grace La interviews Sheila O’Donnell , architect, educator and co-founder of O’Donnell + Tuomey . Sheila reflects on the creation of O’Donnell + Tuomey, the practice she formed with John Tuomey in 1988. She traces the evolution of her practice through the workings of Group 91 and shares her insights on how their collective energy reshaped Dublin’s Temple Bar District. She discusses how context fundamentally influences her design approach and the profess...
May 14, 2025•47 min
In this episode of Talking Practice, host Grace La interviews Pier Vittorio Aureli, architect, educator, and co-founder of Dogma , an architecture and research-based practice in Brussels. Pier Vittorio reveals early beginnings of Dogma, which started as an academic comradery and became a professional cooperation. He expands on the reception and interpretation of his work and writing, including the contemporary challenges of housing. As an educator, Pier Vittorio discusses the influence of his te...
May 29, 2024•48 min
In this episode of Talking Practice, host Grace La interviews Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee , partners and co-founders of Johnston Marklee and Professors in Practice of Architecture at the GSD. Sharon and Mark discuss the beginning of their partnership, which is deeply rooted in a shared connection to Los Angeles. The pair reflect on the demands of oscillating between project types– designing for single-family homes and for institutionally scaled projects– explaining how this spectrum of work inf...
Aug 16, 2023•46 min
In this episode of Talking Practice , host Grace La interviews Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam , principals and co-founders of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects in Atlanta, Georgia. Shortly after their studies, Mack and Merrill began their professional careers at Heery and Heery in Atlanta, Georgia, where the duo developed a deep appreciation for the productive nature of diversity and a pioneering knowledge of project management. Merrill’s MBA background further enabled her to speak the language ...
Sep 02, 2022•47 min
In this episode, host Grace La interviews Kersten Geers , who is a founding partner together with David Van Severen of OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen and the Kenzo Tange Design Critics in architecture at the GSD. Kersten recounts his early encounters with David in Belgium and the U.S., and the influence of Iñaki Ábalos and Juan Herreros during their studies in Spain. Commenting on the nature of collaboration with David, Kersten underscores the significance of dialogue in their process, i...
Mar 10, 2022•46 min
In this episode of Talking Practice , host Grace La moderates a special roundtable, Practice in an Uncertain World . This informal event was recorded over zoom in May 2020, after the Harvard GSD evacuated its campus due to the COVID pandemic. The occasion gathered thirteen prominent architectural practitioners, who assembled on an early Saturday morning to share candid thoughts on the complexities of practice at this unprecedented moment. Featuring GSD faculty and alums, and representing differe...
Mar 06, 2021•1 hr 27 min
In this episode of Talking Practice, host Grace La interviews Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu , partners and co-founders of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office , and the John C. Portman Design Critics in architecture at the GSD. Lyndon and Rossana reflect on the beginnings of their personal and professional partnership, and the deep significance of founding their practice in Shanghai. Discussing the risks and rewards involved in starting a practice in a foreign city, Lyndon and Rossana provide ins...
Oct 16, 2019•49 min
In this episode, Talking Practice host Grace La interviews Preston Scott Cohen , founder and principal of Preston Scott Cohen Inc , and Gerald M. McCue Professor in Architecture at the GSD. A teacher at the GSD since 1989, Cohen reflects upon his distinguished career as an educator and describes the ever-evolving dynamics between teaching and practice. Informed by his deep knowledge of the discipline, Cohen shares his early memories of architecture, and his belief in the catalytic role architect...
Jul 10, 2019•41 min
In this episode of Talking Practice, host Grace La interviews Gary Hilderbrand , founding principal and partner at Reed Hilderbrand , and Peter Louis Hornbeck Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture at the GSD. Discussing his deep engagement with living systems, Gary describes the intrinsic properties of landscape architecture that differentiate it from the other design disciplines, and the significance of treating temporality as a medium for design. Commenting on the trajectory of lands...
Mar 05, 2019•43 min
In this episode, Anna Heringer , founder and principal of Anna Heringer Architects, and honorary professor of the UNESCO Chair of Earthen Architecture, Building Cultures, and Sustainable Development reflects on her days as a scout during her youth and discusses her commitment to rural development and mud/bamboo as raw materials, outlining both the practical and poetic aspects of building mud architecture. Stating the importance of manual work and intuitive learning, she highlights the benefits o...
Oct 30, 2018•38 min
In this episode, Talking Practice host Grace La interviews Shohei Shigematsu , partner at Office of Metropolitan Architects (OMA) and head of the New York office. Tracing his career from the suburbs of Japan to OMA’s Rotterdam headquarters in 1998, and his later transition to partner at the firm’s New York office in 2006, Shigematsu discusses the evolving ethos of practice at OMA, and what it means specifically to lead OMA New York. With OMA currently maintaining multiple international branches,...
Sep 24, 2018•47 min
In this episode, Talking Practice host Grace La interviews Paul Nakazawa , Associate Professor in Practice of Architecture at the Graduate School of Design, whose career as a consultant includes managing several international design practices in the fields of strategy and business development. Having taught practice classes for over twenty years, Nakazawa shares his belief in the importance of fostering personal relationships and a collaborative attitude during the course of a designer’s educati...
Sep 22, 2018•42 min
In this episode, Talking Practice host Grace La interviews Jeanne Gang, founder and principal of Studio Gang , Professor in Practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and 2011 MacArthur Fellow. Gang describes the beginnings of Studio Gang and her desire to differ from traditional modes of practice, stating the importance of a supportive work environment and describing the role of design management within her studio. With the aim of creating better social and environmental relationships t...
Sep 21, 2018•40 min
In this episode, Talking Practice host Grace La interviews Reinier de Graaf , the longest non-founding partner at the Office of Metropolitan Architects and co-founder of AMO, the think tank of OMA. He describes in detail the role of AMO and its relationship with OMA, the desire for architecture to be an intellectual pursuit, and the method of approaching projects as conceptual vehicles. Illuminating the bottom-up hierarchy of OMA’s design process, de Graaf shares his thoughts on its studio cultu...
Sep 21, 2018•39 min
