The Department of Architecture at Weitzman is partnering with Surface Media, publisher of Surface, the 27-year-old American magazine of global contemporary design, to launch Surface Summer School at Penn, a design challenge and competition.
The challenge will invite Weitzman students to respond to a brief for architectural and design solutions for a mobile medical testing unit for COVID-19. The winner of the competition will be profiled in Surface magazine and will be eligible for an internship with the publication at a later date.
Surface Summer School at Penn will feature weekly lectures linked from the magazine’s homepage, made available to both Penn students and the public and led by The Super Jury which will work in collaboration with Surface.
Details for each lecture will be announced on the day of the event on surfacemag.com.
Update 6.19.20: As recent allegations about unacceptable management practices at Surface have come to light, CEO Marc Lotenberg, who was to be a speaker and juror for Surface Summer School, has voluntarily stepped away from the program so as not to distract from the important dialogue between students and leading professionals in designing new mobile testing units for COVID-19. In order to not deprive students of this invaluable opportunity, the Summer School will continue as scheduled, with our generous speakers, who have all agreed to participate on a strictly pro bono basis. We are deeply grateful to them for their support of our students at a time when internships and employment for recent graduates are scarce. We are heartened to learn that, under the guidance of professional, independent facilitators specializing in workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion, Surface has launched an internal review to ensure that employees are treated fairly and professionally.
Monday, June 8, 6:30pm Yves Behar, Founder, Fuseproject View Recording
Wednesday, June 10, 6:30pm Ferda Kolatan, Founding Director, su11; Associate Professor of Practice, Stuart Weitzman School of Design View Recording
Friday, June 12, 6:30pm V. Mitch McEwen, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Princeton University View Recording
Monday, June 15, 6:30pm Thom Mayne, Founder, Morphosis; Cret Chair Professor of Practice, Stuart Weitzman School of Design; Distinguished Faculty, SCI-Arc View Recording
Wednesday, June 17, 6:30pm Michael Rock, Partner and Executive Creative Director, 2x4 View Recording
Thursday, June 18, 6:30pm Enrique Boloña Gilbert, Director of the Intensive Care Unit at La Clinica Guayaquil Fabiana Alvear Gilbert, Intemperie Studio Manuel Colon Amador, Intemperie Studio View Recording
Monday, June 22, 6:30pm Joe Doucet, Founder, Joe Doucet x Partners View Recording
Wednesday, June 24, 6:30pm Marion Weiss, Graham Professor of Practice, Stuart Wetizman School of Design; Co-Founder, WEISS/MANFREDI View Recording
Friday, June 26, 6:30pm Marc Miller, Assistant Professor, Stuckeman School of Architecture, Penn State University View Recording
Monday, June 29, 6:30pm Dror Benshetrit, Founder, Dror View Recording
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