Ecology.Design.Synergy

Innovative Exhibition Defines Sustainability for Architecture and Life
'Ecology.Design.Synergy'
Cisco Home
440 N. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA

March 18 to April 19, 2010
Opening Reception and Talk: March 18, 2010, 7-9PM

LOS ANGELES, CA- Ecology.Design.Synergy redefines the term "sustainability" by examining how people inhabit their built environments. This exhibition showcases the innovative design approach of Behnisch Architekten and Transsolar ClimateEngineering as illustrated by a roster of international projects and ongoing collaborations.

Behnisch Architekten, long known in Europe for its dedication to sustainable practices, has built a reputation in the United State through it 10-year-old Los Angeles office, now joined by a studio in Boston. The architecture firm's clients include the City of Santa Monica, Harvard University, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and University of Baltimore, among others. Its best-known North American building is the LEED-Platinum Genzyme Center in Cambridge, MA, which is featured in the exhibition.

The belief that high-quality built environments can be realized with less consumption of natural resources and more concentration on user comfort is the common foundation of both Behnisch Architekten and Transsolar ClimateEngineering. "The concept of well-being is not easily grasped by purely quantitative terms," says Stefan Behnisch, Hon. FAIA, principal partner. "There are many subjective elements that must be considered." Selected projects illustrate the working methods and results of completed buildings that Behnisch and Transsolar have designed in collaboration, including Norddeutsche Landesbank in Hannover and Thermal Spa Baths in Bad Aibling (both in Germany), as well as perspectives for the future, such as the Cultural District Riverfront Development in Pittsburgh, PA.

Ecology.Design.Synergy educates and inspires through large-scale graphics, architectural models, photographs, videos, and diagrams in a dynamic and engaging space. Divided into three segments-Exposition, Development, and Recapitulation-the exhibition posits the state of environmental challenge, practical solutions to create responsible places for people to thrive, and the social implications of necessary changes. Discussions of economics, development, population, politics, biology, standards, materials, and scale are woven through the exhibition, clearly showing the complexity of these synergistic issues. "By drawing on the five senses, the exhibition attempts to provoke a re-definition of the term 'sustainability' by focusing on the complex series of relationships between human beings and their immediate environment," notes Christof Jantzen, AIA, LEED AP, partner and director of the Los Angeles office of Behnisch Architekten.

Putting a human face to these issues is a video of Behnisch Architekten partners Stefan Behnisch, David Cook, and Martin Haas, and Transsolar ClimateEngineering partners Thomas Auer and Matthias Schuler engaging in an energetic discussion on "sustainability." The exhibition is curated by Frank Ockert of ockert & partner, Stuttgart, in cooperation with Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) and Galerie Aedes, Berlin. Transsolar ClimateEngineering was founded in 1992 as a climate consulting company working worldwide with offices in Stuttgart, Munich, and New York. The firm's scope is to provide highly comfortable environments with a minimum of energy use, while recognizing that environmental conditions are influenced by all aspects of design. The firm works collaboratively with clients and design teams from the start of the building design process, considering each step from the standpoint of fundamental thermodynamics and physics.

Behnisch Architekten-previously known as Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner-is a leader in creating distinctive architectural solutions that are environmentally sustainable. The Stuttgart, Germany-based architecture and planning firm maintains additional offices in Munich, as well as in Los Angeles, CA, and Boston, MA. Stefan Behnisch, Hon. FAIA, RIBA, BDA, is principal partner, along with partners David Cook, RIBA, and Martin Haas, BDA, in Stuttgart, Robert Hösle in Munich, Christof Jantzen, AIA, LEED AP, in Los Angeles, and Matt Noblett, AIA, in Boston.

Energy.Design.Synergy will be exhibited at Cisco Home La Brea, 440 N. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, March 18 to April 19, 2010. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10AM-6PM; Sunday, 11AM-5PM.

For more information or to RSVP for March 18th opening reception, call 323.932.1155.

Last Updated: March 8, 2010