Design and Architecture

KCRW

Host Frances Anderton looks at design and architecture from a Los Angeles perspective.

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514 episodes
Updated Nov 6, 2020

Episodes514

Newest first

May 28, 2019 · 30 min
A turf war in Westwood; climate change at the Aquarium
The Aquarium of the Pacific's new $53 million wing "Pacific Visions" aims to alert visitors to climate change, and what to do about it, through high-tech entertainment. How are visitors reacting? And neighbors in West LA are fighting over a proposal to turn a grassy field into a multi-use, synthetic grass sports field. The project is meant to serve as a memorial for a 12-year-old boy who died last year. But it's erupted into a turf war that involves class, access to public space, and a fight over materials, as in, natural versus nylon.
May 21, 2019 · 30 min
Shade; Cey Adams; Jason Wu
In sunkissed Los Angeles shade is a luxury. Reporter Sam Bloch explains why, and what needs to change for Mayor Eric Garcetti to plant 90,000 trees. The exhibition “Contact High” goes back to the early years of hip hop. Graffiti and graphic artist Cey Adams talks about a career shaped by that era. Jason Wu made a splash in fashion very young. Now he passes on lessons learned to students at Otis College of Art and Design, through a love for 1950s-era uniforms.
May 14, 2019 · 29 min
LA’s dirty air; Lovell Health House
Los Angeles-Long Beach has once again been cited the nation’s capital for dirty air, just as LA Mayor Eric Garcetti has made cleaning the air a central plank of his green new deal. We'll look at why the Southland’s air is dirty despite cleaner cars, and why automating the ports may not be the solution. And a classic modernist house is in distress and may be looking for a buyer. We tour the Lovell Health House with the owners and preservationists eager to restore it.
May 8, 2019 · 29 min
Historic neighborhoods and SB50; fashion designer Rudi Gernreich
A bill in Sacramento called SB50 would override local zoning rules to legalize small and mid-size apartment buildings around public transit and job centers. How will the bill affect LA's historic residential neighborhoods? And fashion designer Rudi Gernreich used clothing as a medium for his progressive views on sex and gender. A new show at the Skirball Cultural Center tells his story, and shows the outlandish outfits he created.
Apr 30, 2019 · 30 min
Feminist design at The Wing; A Time Capsule for 2019 LA
The Wing is a new “women-centric” private club and co-working space in West Hollywood that signals femininity and feminism through design. Is the result a little bit too perfect? And what would you put inside a time capsule that would reflect Los Angeles today? The Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial near downtown LA is getting a renovation, along with a new 2019 time capsule that will include submissions from the public.
Apr 23, 2019 · 29 min
Rebuilding Notre Dame; Bauhaus in Israel; Klaus Frahm
Just two days after the shocking fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, the French government announced an international competition to redesign the spire. But how and what exactly will they rebuild? During the week of Passover, we’ll hear about the exodus of Bauhaus-inspired architects and their impact on the Holy Land. And the best view of a stage is typically front of house. Not for photographer Klaus Frahm, who captures what theater stages look like behind the decorations.
Apr 16, 2019 · 29 min
Art installations provide celebratory places at Coachella
DnA slaps on the sunscreen and heads to Coachella to meet the artists, designers and architects who have brought the polo fields to life with colorful large-scale art installations that pop on Instagram while creating a sense of place. Architect Francis Kéré talks about a life journey that’s taken him from a tiny village in Burkina Faso, Africa, to center stage at Coachella. Young local artist Sofia Enríquez shares her joy at designing her first installation there.
Apr 9, 2019 · 30 min
Make or break for LACMA redesign; Sterling Ruby on Specter
LACMA's proposed museum extension made a big leap forward this week, amidst heated arguments for and against the project. LA County Supervisors voted Tuesday to release $117.5 million towards the $650 million cost of Peter Zumthor's replacement building. LACMA director Michael Govan makes the case for an adventurous design for a creative city. And music lovers heading to Coachella will see one of the desert’s brighter blooms en route: Sterling Ruby’s vivid orange Specter. Ruby tells DnA why orange figures in so much of his art.
Apr 4, 2019 · 5 min
Destination Crenshaw was a Nipsey Hussle dream
Fans of the rapper Nipsey Hussle are remembering his music as well as his contributions to South LA, where he was raised. The 33-year-old was shot and killed Sunday outside The Marathon store he owned. While many rappers leave their neighborhoods when they find success, Hussle was an entrepreneur and an activist who stuck around and invested in his community, even having a hand in creating the logo for Destination Crenshaw. On this episode of DnA on ATC, Frances Anderton tells Eric Roy about Hussle’s commitment to the art and economy of South LA.
Apr 2, 2019 · 30 min
Sun Seekers in SoCal; Kurt Cobain’s fashion legacy
Over 100 years ago “nature boys” and TB sufferers came to Southern California seeking its healthful sun. We hear how the region’s curative powers birthed experimental architecture and a massive “wellness” industry. And 25 years after Kurt Cobain’s death, we explore his unlikely impact on fashion.
Mar 28, 2019 · 4 min
LACMA shrinks its Zumthor-designed expansion
There are big changes coming to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. LACMA took a step closer this past week to getting rid of four old buildings and constructing a brand-new building by a renowned Swiss architect. On this episode of DnA on ATC, Frances Anderton tells Steve Chiotakis what the project’s reduced footprint means for LACMA’s so-called “expansion.”
Mar 26, 2019 · 29 min
Campaign logo design; Bauhaus turns 100
A candidate's political logo may not get your vote, but it's meant to get your attention. We take a deep dive into the design of campaign logos and look at how the many Democratic candidates are trying to distinguish themselves through color, font and letter size. And, the Bauhaus turns 100. How did a maverick German art school change the world?
Mar 20, 2019 · 4 min
Hollywood’s long-dormant Target may finally be completed
If you have driven by the intersection of Sunset and Western over the last few years you may have noticed a yellow-wrapped, half-finished big box. It’s been dormant for so long the yellow has faded to almost white. This is the Target store that was under construction and then had to stop - because the company didn’t get the right permits for the site. On this episode of DnA on ATC, Frances Anderton tells Larry Perel that it looks like the abandoned Target may finally be completed. But what happens to “Target Husk,” the online persona who has channeled the feelings and opinions of the incomplete big box store for the last four years?
Mar 19, 2019 · 29 min
Downtown dog owners; Soul of a Nation
Almost every residential development in downtown aims to attract pet owners, and doggie businesses outnumber those aimed at children. We’ll hear how dogs helped bring DTLA to life and are now impacting the design of buildings. Art from the black power era comes to the Broad, bringing Kool Aid-colored paintings, assemblage, Byzantine-styled portraiture, raised fists, and a room devoted to Betye Saar. The curators tell DnA their powerful exhibition is aimed at filling the “lacunae” in people’s understanding of the visual arts in the era of civil rights and soul.
Mar 13, 2019 · 4 min
LA County pushes for pet-friendly housing
If you’ve ever had to search for a place to rent, you know the phrase: “no pets allowed.” This can be a dealbreaker, especially if you’re homeless and would rather stay on the street than give up your beloved companion. This week LA County supervisors took steps to help. But isn’t a ban on pets hard on all renters? On this episode of DnA on ATC, Frances Anderton talks with Steve Chiotakis about how pets create a sense of home.
Mar 12, 2019 · 29 min
New life for old buildings: MOCA, a Hollywood library, Target Husk
MOCA’s new director Klaus Biesenbach plans to restore “luminosity” -- and, maybe, water -- to the Grand Avenue building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Arata Isozaki. Also, if you own an abandoned building or a vacant lot in Los Angeles, the city wants to talk to you about putting supportive housing there. And, an abandoned big box store in the heart of Hollywood has developed sentience. It posts to Facebook, and tweets. We’ll talk to "Target Husk."
Mar 6, 2019 · 5 min
Pritzker winner Arata Isozaki’s MOCA to be revamped, with water feature
The Pritzker Prize for 2019 has been awarded to Arata Isozaki, the 87-year-old Japanese architect with a career ranging from brutalist libraries to an inflatable purple concert hall. His most famous building is LA’s MOCA, or Museum of Contemporary Art, on Grand Avenue. However, the 1986 structure atop Bunker Hill, a collage of geometric forms buried mostly underground, has never been a huge hit with the public. But MOCA’s new director Klaus Biesenbach sees poetry in the design -- likening the complex to a “sunken pool” -- and promises to restore its “luminosity” and bring greenery to its arid plaza. He even hopes to incorporate a reflective water feature into the basement entry area, thereby making his sunken pool metaphor real. Frances Anderton talks to KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis about it, on DnA on ATC.
Mar 5, 2019 · 30 min
Can you design your way out of smartphone addiction?
Your smartphone is addictive. Do you need to “Marie Kondo” your apps, put down the phone altogether, or use it as a “drug” dispensary? DnA takes a tour of hidden LA bars that ban phones, talks with a computer scientist who recommends “digital minimalism,” and meets an app entrepreneur who wants to relieve anxiety with “digital drugs.”
Feb 27, 2019 · 5 min
Metro eyes fees on ride-hailing services
In a bid to raise funds for mass transit improvement, LA’s Metro board will vote tomorrow to study a range of strategies that include congestion pricing and taxing ride-hailing services. But what Metro really needs to do, many Angelenos say, is make the mass transit experience better through added security, more reliable service and urban vitality around the stations. Frances Anderton talks to KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis about Metro’s plans, on DnA on ATC.
Feb 26, 2019 · 29 min
Frank Gehry turns 90, Metro considers congestion pricing
Angelenos hate traffic but aren't flocking to mass transit. Will congestion pricing and fees on ride-hailing services change their minds? Metro’s board is about to vote on a package of revenue-raising, congestion-reducing measures, and listeners tell DnA what would entice them onto buses and trains. Frank Gehry turns 90 on Thursday. But that’s no reason to stop working. We look back, and forward, at his career, in a conversation peppered with anecdotes and zingers.

Design and Architecture

A turf war in Westwood; climate change at the Aquarium

Shade; Cey Adams; Jason Wu

LA’s dirty air; Lovell Health House

Historic neighborhoods and SB50; fashion designer Rudi Gernreich

Feminist design at The Wing; A Time Capsule for 2019 LA

Rebuilding Notre Dame; Bauhaus in Israel; Klaus Frahm

Art installations provide celebratory places at Coachella

Make or break for LACMA redesign; Sterling Ruby on Specter

Destination Crenshaw was a Nipsey Hussle dream

Sun Seekers in SoCal; Kurt Cobain’s fashion legacy

LACMA shrinks its Zumthor-designed expansion

Campaign logo design; Bauhaus turns 100

Hollywood’s long-dormant Target may finally be completed

Downtown dog owners; Soul of a Nation

LA County pushes for pet-friendly housing

New life for old buildings: MOCA, a Hollywood library, Target Husk

Pritzker winner Arata Isozaki’s MOCA to be revamped, with water feature

Can you design your way out of smartphone addiction?

Metro eyes fees on ride-hailing services

Frank Gehry turns 90, Metro considers congestion pricing