Experimental Architecture has the power to change the world as we know it. History continues to demonstrate that the opportunity and unique challenges of an event can regenerate cities, industries and enable emerging architectural languages to gain a global awareness. From the glass and steel architecture of the Crystal Palace in the 1851 Great Exhibition, to timber experimentation by Alvar Aalto in 1939 World’s fair, to great leaps of in large scale industry and architecture collaboration in Japanese curator Kenya Hara’s “House Vision” event 2016 in Tokyo, we keep seeing the future before it is made.
These projects are not only a catalyst to rebirth cities, but also a trigger to rethink who we are as humans, and how we should choose to exist, in relation to the earth, it’s climate, the universe, and each other.
In this talk Asif Khan will provide examples of this topic, citing works from architectural history and projects of his office from the past 10 years which have been built in this regard, including Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 (Megafaces), London Olympics 2012 (CocaCola Beatbox), Astana Expo 2017 (UK Pavilion)
Asif Khan Studio is a research and development led architecture office who design buildings, landscapes, exhibitions and installations, among other things. Khan is currently working on the Tselinny Centre of Contemporary Culture in Almaty and leading the design of public realm for Dubai Expo 2020. Recently he designed the award winning UK Pavilion at Astana Expo 2017 and the Hyundai Pavilion at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics. Notable previous projects include the ‘MegaFaces’ pavilion at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics which won the Cannes Lion Grand Prix for Innovation, the Coca-Cola Beatbox at London 2012 Olympics, a finalist entry in the international competition for the new Guggenheim Museum Helsinki. His studio is based in East London, formed in 2007 after graduating from the AA.