Location

Austin Convention Center

Description

Kent Larson will discuss the work of his research group to develop urban interventions that address the challenges of extreme urbanization and a rapidly changing global economy. His talk will focus on three current projects. CityScope combines physical 3D models with augmented reality to create an evidence-based process for urban design and system integration. The Persuasive Electric Vehicle (PEV) is an ultra-lightweight, shared-use, autonomous electric vehicle designed to move both people and goods in high-density cities, reducing the need for private automobiles and allowing streets and public spaces to be reclaimed by people. The CityHome project focuses on transformable micro-apartments to allow artists and young professionals to live in the creative heart of cities, increasing diversity and exchange of ideas. He will also discuss Urban Living Lab collaborative projects in Hamburg, Andorra, and Taipei.

Biographies

Kent Larson directs the Media Lab's Changing Places group. Since 1998, he has also directed the MIT House_n research consortium in the School of Architecture and Planning. His current research is focused on four related areas: responsive urban housing, new urban vehicles, ubiquitous technologies, and living lab experiments. Larson practiced architecture for 15 years in New York City, with work published in Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture, Global Architecture, The New York Times, A+U, and Architectural Digest. His book, Louis I. Kahn: Unbuilt Masterworks was selected as one of the Ten Best Books in Architecture, 2000 by The New York Times Review of Books. Related work was selected by Time magazine as a "Best Design of the Year" project.