Sept. 4, 2013
The School of Architecture and Planning announces its 2013 Walton Critic, architect Claudio Silvestrin. As Walton Critic, Silvestrin will deliver a lecture on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m., titled "Can architecture uplift our spirit and prevent the weight of materialism from crushing us?" in the Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies' Koubek Auditorium.Silvestrin is based in London and Milan and is the author of an internationally recognized body of work that covers not only architecture but also a wide range of design scales and interests. "His aim is to raise human awareness of an evolution which is not merely technological and material, but which fundamentally brings together emotion and spirit, man and nature, and has beauty as its compass," says Julio Bermudez, director of the Sacred Space and Cultural Studies concentration in architecture. "He pursues this conviction with a thought process based on depth, integrity, clarity of mind, inventiveness, and concern for details."
Silvestrin has been featured in exhibitions, four books, many magazines and journals, and other media outlets. While he has visited and worked in America, he has rarely lectured or taught in the U.S. "This gives our school and program a special opportunity to learn from a remarkable individual and professional," says Bermudez.
During his residence at CUA's School of Architecture and Planning, Silvestrin will direct a three-week-long design studio centered in the intersection between culture and spirituality. As the 2013 Walton Critic, he will participate in the life of the school through guest talks, reviews, and spontaneous meetings with students and faculty.
Subsequent to the Sept. 11 lecture, the Italian Cultural Institute and the architecture and planning school will cohost the presentation by Silvestrin, "Claudio Silvestrin: Works and Inspirations," on Thursday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m. at the Embassy of Italy. This event, part of a special program celebrating Italian culture and design, is included in the 2013 AIA-DC architectural week.
Claudio Silvestrin's residence is made possible in part by the Clarence Walton Fund for Catholic Architecture. Past Walton Critics include architects Antoine Predock (2009), Craig Hartman (2010), Juhani Pallasmaa (2011) and Alberto Campo Baeza (2012).
For more information on either lecture, the Walton Critics, or the Sacred Spaces concentration, contact Julio Bermudez at Bermudez@cua.edu .