Department of Architecture Winter 2011 Lecture Series: Michael Pyatok, FAIA

The Orchards on Foothill, Oakland, CA - Pyatok Architects

It’s a surprisingly busy time for those of us who enjoy learning about all things related to architecture, construction, and urban design. My last blog post announced the Architectural Seminar Series at the Good Earth Home, Garden & Living Show; its three-day run at the Lane Events Center concludes today. The annual "Economic Forecast/Projects in the Pipeline" meeting produced by the Willamette Valley Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute and co-hosted by AIA-Southwestern Oregon takes place next Thursday, January 27. Coming in early February is an intriguing City Design Lecture by Ellen Dunham-Jones entitled “Retrofitting Suburbia.” And there’s more.

The University of Oregon Department of Architecture Winter 2011 Lecture Series is soon to be in full swing. The first presentation in the series is by Michael Pyatok, FAIA, and is entitled “Cozy Communities: Romancing Americans into Compact Living." The eponymous founder and principal of Pyatok Architects, Inc., Michael has been an architect and professor of architectural design for over forty years.

His practice serves nonprofit organizations, private developers, government agencies, and universities in building market-rate and affordable housing, mixed use developments, and community facilities. Since opening his office in 1984, Michael’s firm has designed over 35,000 units of affordable housing for lower-income households in the U.S., another 5,000 units in the Philippines, and 1,500 in Malaysia. Pyatok Architects, Inc. has won over 150 local and national design awards for its housing designs.

Michael Pyatok, FAIA

I have the great fortune to presently be working with Michael in a professional capacity. Along with the SRG Partnership, my office—Robertson/Sherwood/Architects—has teamed with Pyatok Architects to design the student housing component of the proposed Lane Community College Downtown Campus in Eugene. Michael’s breadth of knowledge and experience with housing of all types, and his ability to assess each community’s unique social and cultural needs, has proven invaluable to the College for its first-ever residential project.

Michael’s lecture at the University of Oregon will touch upon his belief that there is a political role to design. His message will emphasize doing good above all else when making a place and building a community. In an era of diminishing resources, reduced affordability, and limited capital, he asserts that architects and planners have the responsibility to design sustainable housing that is both respectful of the environment and the people being housed. Romancing Americans into compact living is a challenge that Michael Pyatok embraces.

Here are the details for the lecture:

Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Pacific Hall Room 123, University of Oregon, Eugene

Future talks in the UO Department of Architecture Winter 2011 Lecture Series include a February 9 presentation by Dana Buntrock on the topic of “Materials & Meaning in Japanese Architecture,” and a February 16 lecture by Virginia San Fratello on entitled “Emerging Technology & Ecological Design.” For more information on these and rest of the Winter 2011 Lecture Series, visit the Department of Architecture’s website.