1 Billie Tsien in Ithaca on January 23
One half of New York’s Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, Tsien will discuss how the firm’s architecture is influenced by art. This is best seen in the handsome – and controversial – building it designed for the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, which thoughtfully recreates the exhibition layout of the art museum’s former home inside Albert C. Barnes’s mansion. TWBT’s building features a majestic cantilevered light box and plenty of green space, offering contemplative breaks from the paintings found behind the structure’s monumental exterior in grey and gold limestone. Cornell University, 129 Sibley Dome, Ithaca, N.Y.
2 Robert Davidson in New Haven on January 24
Currently posted at STV, a North American engineering and architecture consulting firm, Davidson is a veteran in planning transportation projects; he spent three decades at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The firm is currently overseeing the design of a new terminal complex at Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport (shown), as well as developing a master transportation plan for the World Trade Center site and lower Manhattan. Yale School of Architecture, 180 York St., New Haven, CT.
3 Thom Mayne in New Orleans on January 28
The Pritzker Prize-winning founder of Santa Monica’s Morphosis will discuss projects built and unrealized, all of which encompass architecture and urban planning. The firm has just completed the Perot Museum of Nature and Science (shown), a spectacular concrete complex in Dallas that features Mayne’s signature extrusions. Among the firm’s ambitious, yet unbuilt, proposals: a 21,000-hectare redevelopment proposal for post-Katrina New Orleans. Tulane School of Architecture, 6823 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans.
4 Manuelle Gautrand in Toronto on January 29
The Paris-based founder of Manuelle Gautrand Architecture is known for her striking facades, as seen in the Origami Building in Paris and the Modern Art Museum in Lille, France. She’s currently working on projects ranging from the St. Roch mixed-use project in Montpellier, France, (shown) to an urban resort, complete with 200 villas, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. University of Toronto, 230 College St.
5 Isaac Campbell in Pittsburgh on February 4
One half of Portland, Oregon’s Office 52, Campbell works with partner Michelle LaFoe on a range of small- and large-scale projects, including product and residential designs. He’s currently leading the charge on Carnegie Mellon’s new Sherman and Joyce Bowie Scott Hall, a new building for the engineering college to be located at the core of CMU’s campus. Carnegie Mellon University, 201 College of Fine Arts, Pittsburgh.
6 Kenneth Frampton in Ottawa on February 8
The acclaimed British architecture historian, who teaches at Columbia University, received the Schelling Architecture and Architectural Theory Prize back in October. He won the award for his work exploring the role of architectural forms as predominant elements in urban landscapes. He was also honoured for delving into current construction processes as well as the history of modern architecture since the 19th century. National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Dr., Ottawa.
7 Georgeen Theodore in St. Louis on February 11
A co-founder of New York’s Interboro Partners – the 2011 winners of MoMA PS1’s Young Architects Program – Theodore is also an associate professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture and Design. With Interboro, she recently contributed to the U.S. pavilion at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale by helping to create Commonplace, a colourful, modular outdoor living room. Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Dr.
8 Victor van der Chijs in New Haven on February 11
The managing partner at OMA lets us in on how Rem Koolhaas wins high-profile (and often controversial) commissions across the globe. Not only does Van der Chijs oversee the firm’s business development, but he also explores ways to diversify. Think: the seven-screen pavilion OMA designed for the debut of Kayne West’s Cruel Summer short at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, and the modular retail display concept it created for Coach (shown). Yale School of Architecture, 180 York St., New Haven, CT.
9 Marion Weiss in Toronto on February 12
Weiss is a co-founder of Weiss/Manfredi, the New York architecture firm responsible for the Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum. The project has garnered many accolades, including the top prize in the Nature category at the World Architecture Festival last year. University of Toronto, 230 College St.
10 Ben van Berkel in Los Angeles on February 20
The renowned Dutch architect and co-founder, with Caroline Bos, of UNStudio eschews the conventional approach to making buildings. Among the firm’s most recognized works: the La Defense office complex and the Education Executive Agency & Tax Offices (shown), both in the Netherlands; a number of curvaceous residences, including the stunning home in Stuttgart that graces the cover of our 2013 Annual Houses Issue; and innovative office furniture for such brands as Walter Knoll and Prooff. The firm is currently at work on the Singapore University of Technology and Design. SCI-Arc, 960 East 3rd St., Los Angeles.