Cloepfil Speaks

This Wednesday at noon, the University of Oregon's Portland architecture program continues its winter lecture series with a presentation by architect Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works.

As you probably already know, Allied has produced a host of big, acclaimed, signature architecture projects around the US: the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Museum of Art & Design on Columbus Circle in New York, the Seattle Art Museum expansion, and of course Portland's fabulous Wieden + Kennedy 2281 Glisan buildings.

On the flyer I received about the lecture, there was this quote from Aaron Betsky, who heads the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam and helped select Cloepfil for the Museum of Art & Design job:

“Cloepfil sees his work as continually pushing and pulling at the expectations we build based on our experiences. He hopes that his buildings do not so much ground us, as make us aware both of our own need for ground and the instability of such a notional center to our existence.”

The lecture will be at the UO Portland Center, SW Second and Yamhill, first floor.

It's been five years since I profiled Brad in the New York Times, so that also makes it feels like a moment of reflection. In that time, the firm has gained another big project, an art museum at the University of Michigan. It's a broken record to chime about how Allied hasn't received much recent work in Portland, save for two spec homes being done with builder extraordinaire Don Tankersley and W+K's John Jay, and some PNCA master planning. But whether it's in Portland or out, I'm excited to see what else the firm comes up with.

Comments

[sut]

The above quote certainly piques my interest about Allied Works, but I'm not sure I see it in their buildings. In seeing their work as 'pushing and pulling at the expectations we build based on our experiences,' it sounds to me that are trying to destabilize, if only partially, the ground that the users of their buildings stand on. While I suppose there is something of the unexpected in their work, they seem to me to be striving for an immediacy of experience and materiality, rather than throwing people off kilter in the manner of an Eisenman or a Liebeskind. Any thoughts?

[jen]

When is the Cloepfil lecture?

[truth]

"This Wednesday at noon, the University of Oregon's Portland architecture program continues its winter lecture series with a presentation by architect Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works."

01.30.08 12:00pm

[pdxstudent]

Can we see any images of the spec houses? To respond to the above comment on the nature of the work. I would agree with you that they are not trying to deconstruct any notions. The work takes materials, structure, and volume to a very elegant development on modernist principals. Light helps in the integration of these elements. I find it quite similar to the power of David Chipperfield's minimalism. I would like to see the work become a bit more aggressive and bold. The MOAD at columbus circle should be the best yet.

[How do you spell relief? M-e-a-s-u-r-e-4-9]

I've got the when. How 'bout the where?

[uo portland student]

Thanks for plugging the Cloepfil lecture, which drew a standing-room-only crowd. Please note that UO's Portland Architecture Program has public lectures almost every Wednesday. Next week, Bob Thompson of TVA Architects will be speaking (6 pm, Weds. Feb. 6).

It would be great to see more members of the larger Portland architecture community at these events.