Design and Architecture
62 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 160 ratingsHost Frances Anderton looks at design and architecture from a Los Angeles perspective.
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Episodes
LA architect rebuilds after Woolsey Fire and reflects on living in the wildland-urban interface
November 06, 2020 08:00 - 23 minutesGeoffrey von Oeyen completed a dream house for his brother, only to see it destroyed by the Woolsey Fire two years ago. As he nears completion on the rebuild, he reflects on living in the wildland-urban interface. Also, Janna Ireland is on a mission to tell stories about Black people and their creativity. She talks about her new photo book of buildings by the architect Paul Revere Williams.
Roman Mars turns ‘99% Invisible’ city into a 100% visible book
October 08, 2020 07:00 - 24 minutesRoman Mars has spent 10 years using his radio show “99% Invisible” to reveal the everyday quirks and delights of cities. Now he’s co-written a book called “The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design.” Mars talks with DnA about tales from LA, writing for print v. radio, and whether he secretly yearns to be a designer.
In an age of loneliness, Treehouse offers community that’s carefully curated and designed
September 23, 2020 07:00 - 30 minutesAmericans are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. A coliving project in Hollywood was designed to remedy it. Then came a pandemic. Ten months after its opening, DnA explores the design of Treehouse with creative director Sean Knibb, architect Jeff Soler, and reporter Adriana Cargill. Some residents also share how the project just might be what the doctor ordered at a time of extreme isolation.
Air conditioning becomes a weapon against infection, D.J. Waldie finds the soul in Los Angeles
August 28, 2020 07:00 - 28 minutesVentilation has become a life or death issue as as experts find that COVID-19 infections increase in poorly ventilated interiors. DnA looks into the extreme measures being taken to improve air conditioning and asks whether outside air is cheaper and healthier. D.J. Waldie has a writerly gift for divining the “sacred ordinariness” in the fabric of Los Angeles. In his new book “Becoming Los Angeles: Myth, Memory, and a Sense of Place,” Waldie reckons with himself and the region in a post-Georg...
How Bill English helped create the computer mouse, and the effort to change the face of architecture
August 12, 2020 22:00 - 28 minutesCalifornia has around 21,000 licensed architects, and 300 of them are Black. SoCalNOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) hopes to change that through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge. SoCalNOMA President Lance Collins also talks about decolonizing architecture education and finding an African American architectural language. Computer engineer William English made the mouse a reality. His son John reflects on his father’s work, how William English felt about Apple...
City of Santa Monica lets restaurants serve in parking lanes, taking on the primacy of the automobile
August 03, 2020 07:00 - 18 minutesThe restaurants on Santa Monica’s Main Street took a huge hit from the COVID-19 shutdown. So the city government, restaurant owners and nearby residents hatched a plan: get rid of parking and give over the space to diners. In doing so, they created European-style al fresco dining, and took on the primacy of the automobile in Los Angeles. They also presented restaurants with a design challenge: how do you make a patch of asphalt with heavy concrete barriers into an attractive destination?
XPRIZE’s $1 million face mask contest, and the link between urban design and immunity
July 17, 2020 00:00 - 31 minutesXPRIZE is offering $1 million to designers of a protective face mask that people will actually want to wear. Also, many buildings and neighborhoods are designed in a way that help cause chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Dr. Richard Jackson, pediatrician and city design consultant, talks about why well-lit staircases, green roofs, bike lanes, and pleasant sidewalks matter, especially in the time of coronavirus.
For an art conservator, it's hard to say goodbye to Confederate statues
June 25, 2020 07:00 - 18 minutesStatues of slave traders and Confederate leaders are being toppled or defaced during protests following the killing of George Floyd. How does that feel to a conservator who has worked on some of them? Andrew Baxter installs and restores sculptures and monuments, including the statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia. He talks about his craft, the criticism he has received, and his growing “awakening” about whether symbols of racism should go.
How structural racism shaped LA, and what developers can do about it
June 19, 2020 00:00 - 16 minutesRedlining, restrictive covenants, urban renewal, and building freeways through communities of color are all ways Los Angeles was shaped by structural racism. Now gentrification is a challenge. Real estate development consultant Judith Taylor explains how race has shaped place, and the work she is doing to bring equity and local investment into new development in South LA.
Google and Twitter tell staff to keep working from home. What will happen to creative offices?
May 21, 2020 23:00 - 16 minutesBig tech companies have remade the workplace in recent years with creative offices designed to stimulate disruption. Now Google and Twitter are telling employees they can keep on working at home — indefinitely. What does that mean for the workplace as a hub of ideas and socializing?
Can LA be greener, cleaner, slower following COVID-19?
May 07, 2020 07:00 - 21 minutesLA City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell talks about his plan to incentivize telecommuting after stay-at-home orders are lifted and other ideas for a greener, cleaner LA. Also, futurist Liam Young says there’s a path toward a slower pace and deeper humanity.
Coronavirus tests the values of global cities like LA
April 30, 2020 07:00 - 17 minutesThe pandemic has brought many people pain and anxiety. To Wouter Vanstiphout, a professor of “design as politics,” it has also brought clarity about the weaknesses in the “shiny global city” and its culture, economy and values. Vanstiphout asks if cities based on tourism, fossil fuels and hypercompetitiveness can survive the coronavirus.
Based on past pandemics, coronavirus will bring changes to buildings and cities
April 23, 2020 07:00 - 17 minutesPandemics can bring about innovation, especially in design and architecture. Sam Lubell talks to DnA about changes that may come to buildings and urban design in response to COVID-19.
Interior designer Kelly Wearstler can help make your home work for you
April 15, 2020 08:00 - 5 minutesYou are working at home. But is your home working for you? Kelly Wearstler has some tips to improve your interior, at whatever scale.
Kelly Wearstler shares tips from her interior design MasterClass
April 09, 2020 07:00 - 18 minutesKelly Wearstler has held reign in interior design since arriving in Los Angeles in the 1990s. She’s now teaching an online MasterClass. Her tips for improving one's space might be timely for people sheltering in place.
Construction continues as coronavirus grinds economy to a halt
April 02, 2020 08:00 - 7 minutesLA’s construction sites are still a hotbed of activity, deemed an essential service. Could they become hotbeds for COVID-19 too?
White House urges Americans to wear face masks in public. Here’s how to make your own
April 02, 2020 07:00 - 19 minutesThe CDC is recommending that all Americans should wear cloth masks or other face coverings if they go out in public — amid new concerns that infected people with no symptoms can still spread COVID-19.
Long-time champion of public space reflects on impact of coronavirus on city life
March 27, 2020 07:00 - 16 minutesLA was once a destination for people who wanted to get away from crowded East Coast cities. The ideal was a single home with a yard and a car in the driveway. But over the last few decades, planners, designers and activists like Aaron Paley (co-founder of cicLAvia) have worked tirelessly to transform the Southland into a more social place, where people use mass transit and gather in streets and parks.
Do handsewn face masks protect against coronavirus?
March 26, 2020 07:00 - 7 minutesAs hospitals, clinics and other community organizations face a shortage of masks during the COVID-19 outbreak, homebound sewers have stepped up to help, from DIY crafters to fashion companies. Are homemade masks helpful to medical staff?
With spring design fairs and travel on hold, LA designers get creative with constraints
March 12, 2020 07:00 - 16 minutesIn a normal year, many Angeleno designers and showroom owners would be packing their bags soon to head to Milan for Salone del Mobile, the massive furniture fair. But now Italy is on lockdown, and the fair has been postponed, along with High Point Market in North Carolina and numerous other expos, fairs and festivals. Salone and High Point, originally scheduled in April, have moved to June, assuming quarantines have lifted. How are Los Angeles designers and showroom owners responding?
Redesigning the California dream
March 05, 2020 08:00 - 16 minutesWould you choose to rent or own a condo in a multifamily building, or own a single family home? If you are an Angeleno with the means, it is likely that you would choose the latter. After all, a house is a means to personal freedom, outdoor space, control over design choices, and accumulating wealth. That deep desire for a house and yard -- and the protection of that type of home -- has been promoted since the founding of Los Angeles. But now it may be getting in the way of upzoning the re...
Paula Benson, movie design detective
February 26, 2020 08:00 - 15 minutesPaula Benson says she is “a nightmare to watch a film with.” That’s because she’s always pausing the screen to check the decor, ponder who designed the furnishings and where to get them.
Daniel Libeskind at the ‘Edge of Order,’ Sunset Magazine, and Sound Baths
February 19, 2020 06:40 - 28 minutesWhy does an architect have to be like a “camel in the desert?” Daniel Libeskind explains why in a conversation about his new book “Edge of Order.” He also shares thoughts about maintaining hope following trauma, not working for dictators, and why everyone should tap into their inner architect. Modernism Week in Palm Springs continues through Sunday with tours, talks, and a trip down memory lane to the heyday of Sunset magazine. Victoria Bernal recalls a childhood as a member of the “Sunset...
Frieze and the art fair effect; Lita Albuquerque at Desert X Al Ula
February 11, 2020 21:30 - 28 minutesDesert X started in Coachella Valley, and now it’s in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. Los Angeles artist Lita Albuquerque shares why she chose to participate amidst a furor back home, saying she couldn't miss being in the country at a "historic moment" of dramatic change, especially for women. Frieze LA is back for a second outing, bringing a bonanza of art fairs. But not all artists are excited about it. Aaron Axelrod says Frieze contributes to rising housing costs and is making the LA art scene "a...
Architecture in Parasite; Movie villain homes
February 04, 2020 21:30 - 28 minutesThe movie “Parasite” is favored for many Oscars, including production design. Director Bong Joon Ho talks about telling a story of class through architecture, saying he gets “pathologically excited and euphoric” when he finds a good space. Eui-Sung Yi, LA-based Korean-American architect, reflects on living in a semi-basement and why Korean-American designers love Bong’s movies. And how is it that very bad movie villains have such great homes? Designer and author Chad Oppenheim talks about t...
Setting up shop at the Bradbury Building and Beverly Center
January 28, 2020 21:30 - 28 minutesTwo new projects are putting their own design or architectural twist on LA landmarks. We visit the famed Bradbury Building in downtown -- a popular location for shooting films such as "Blade Runner." There’s a new tenant here: the coworking space NeueHouse. Avishay Artsy recaps the history of the Bradbury, and Frances Anderton talks to the company's CEO and the designer about moving into such a storied LA building. And we visit the Beverly Center at the edge of Beverly Hills and West Holly...
Cross Colours; Fast fashion’s hidden costs
January 22, 2020 03:30 - 28 minutesRemember Cross Colours? The LA-based urban streetwear line was a hit in the early 90s, with bright, bold designs and uplifting messages about unity. Now the label is back, and the California African American Museum is celebrating with a retrospective that shows its impact on the mainstream fashion industry. Plus, Forever 21 may not last forever. But the demand for cheap clothing has not gone away. Fashionopolis author Dana Thomas tells DnA about the human and environmental costs of fast fas...
New Hollywood royalty; Netflix goes solar; Santa Monica and well-being
January 14, 2020 21:30 - 28 minutesPrince Harry and Meghan Markle are stepping back from the British Royal Family. Will they become new Hollywood royalty? We look at the role Los Angeles may play in their lives, from shaping the couple’s influencer project to a being a possible new home. New homes built in California must have solar panels. What does this mean for cost and design? We’ll get some clues from Epic, the new home of Netflix in Hollywood, that integrates solar panels into the facade of the building. And, does one...
Remembering “visual futurist” Syd Mead; hunting for vintage clothing at ThriftCon LA
January 07, 2020 21:30 - 28 minutesSyd Mead envisoned vehicles, streetscapes and gadgets for Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens and many other films. He died December 30 at age 86. DnA pays tribute to this “visual futurist” who anticipated, and inspired, new technologies and the discipline of world building. And used clothing is a hot fashion trend. But for some young shoppers, vintage means... the '90s. KCRW's Tyler Boudreaux reports from ThriftCon.
Can you design your way out of smartphone addiction?
December 31, 2019 21:30 - 28 minutesYour 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.”
Dar Williams on how to rebuild small town America
December 22, 2019 15:30 - 28 minutesSinger-songwriter Dar Williams has spent years on the road and along the way she learned a lot about America’s small towns and what makes them thrive. She talks about her book, What I Found in a Thousand Towns, and plays songs that relate to those themes.
La Brea Tar Pits; Cinderella Homes; General Hospital
December 17, 2019 21:30 - 28 minutesThe La Brea Tar Pits has a new design team that won’t uproot the mammoth family from its lake of tar. DnA talks to architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi of Weiss/Manfredi about how they plan to maintain the “thereness” and “spectacle” of the prehistoric site while making it more open and attractive to visitors. Once upon a time, tract homes were seen as bland and boring, and then came Cinderella Homes. We’ll hear how a 1950s fantasy trend in suburban design made Southern California h...
UCLA’s graduate art studios; Where stuff goes after the thrift store
December 10, 2019 21:30 - 28 minutesHow do you make your own architectural statement on a street filled with eye-grabbing Eric Owen Moss buildings? Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee talk about bringing “decorum,” pillowed tilt-up concrete and hidden outdoor rooms to their subtle remodel of UCLA’s graduate art studios on Hayden Avenue in Culver City. And we learn about the massive, sometimes illegal, global trade in used stuff and where it winds up after we've tossed it out. Fun fact: The Japanese hoard as much as Americans.
More housing for rich LA cities; West Coast Craft
December 03, 2019 21:30 - 28 minutesA dramatic decision by a little-known planning agency may impact how much new housing goes up in your city. The board of the Southern California Association of Governments, or SCAG, voted recently to allocate more housing in coastal, job-rich cities in Southern California rather than in rural areas. That means over 3,000 new units for Beverly Hills, which had planned to build three. DnA talks to the mayors of Culver City and Beverly Hills about their different approaches to new housing const...
Ray Kappe; LA Auto Show colors; Le Corbuffet
November 26, 2019 21:30 - 28 minutesRay Kappe, creator of stunning homes and a highly original architecture school, has passed at age 92. DnA gives tribute to a well-lived life. Did you know that you can learn about the fuel usage of a car by its show color? We talk to “communication color” consultant Sabine Lapine. And, still planning your Thanksgiving meal? How about cooking something tailored for the art and design fans in your life? Esther Choi explains “Le Corbuffet.”
Streetlight competition; WALLS
November 19, 2019 21:30 - 28 minutesThe city of LA is launching a competition to design a new streetlight. LA's chief design officer Christopher Hawthorne tells DnA about the history of LA's streetlights, and what the city is looking for in a new streetlight. And when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, there were only 30 walls separating nation states around the world. Now there are over 77 -- and most of those have gone up in this century. A show at the Annenberg Space for Photography explores why walls are a global phenomen...
Marciano and ‘art labor’; Shortlisted!
November 12, 2019 21:30 - 28 minutes - 10.3 MBMarciano Art Foundation is closing. The news came days after visitor services associates announced their intention to unionize. DnA attends a protest outside the Wilshire museum to hear about the role of low-paid labor in the highly lucrative world of contemporary art. Plus, more changes are coming to Museum Row, but LA-based architects aren’t getting to design them. We look at the shortlist for the La Brea Tar Pits expansion, and the role of localism in a global architecture profession.
Creating buzz in the city: Ian Schrager; Horton Plaza
November 05, 2019 21:30 - 28 minutes - 9.64 MBThe co-founder of Studio 54 is opening a new boutique hotel in West Hollywood. Veteran hotelier Ian Schrager talks about his colorful life and career creating spaces to attract the in-crowd. And filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer tells us about the dramatic life and civic impact of Schrager. DnA also visits another site that was designed as a social magnet: Horton Plaza, a postmodern icon designed by the late architect Jon Jerde. But the 1985 mall has become a ghost of its former self. DnA learns wha...
Fighting the Getty Fire; the science of scary; Sneakertopia
October 29, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutes - 4.33 MBThe Getty Fire has spread to hundreds of acres, with tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate. But the Getty Center, with its priceless collection of art and artifacts, was designed to withstand the flames. Plus, how safe is the fire retardant that air tankers are spraying onto the flames? If you’re planning to dress up for Halloween, you may be thinking of those old spooky favorites: a mummy, a vampire, Frankenstein’s monster. But have you ever wondered about the origin stories of th...
Saudi Arabia invites dialogue with American artists and designers, but there’s pushback
October 22, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBSaudi Arabia has an image problem. But it has become a new frontier for American artists and designers. We look at the controversy surrounding site-specific art festival Desert X's planned expansion to Saudi Arabia, and we talk to an LA-based consultant for the futuristic megacity of Neom. Both are bankrolled by Mohammad Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. How do designers deal with the blowback?
Building housing affordably; drag through the ages
October 15, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesGov. Gavin Newsom signed 18 bills last week to boost housing production. Does this mean the housing crisis is solved? DnA talks to Angela Brooks and Larry Scarpa about the “elephant in the room” that was left out of the bills, and their NEST 'kit-of-parts' that they believe can build affordable housing faster. And, RuPaul has brought drag into the mainstream, but it’s hardly a new phenomenon. In his new book "Drag: The Complete Story," Simon Doonan recounts the history of cross-dressing and...
Coworking after WeWork; Autographs of LA
October 01, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesThe coworking giant WeWork said it would raise world consciousness and rebuild cities, with help from architect Bjarke Ingels. Now it has pulled its IPO, after firing its CEO last week. Where does that leave WeWork and coworking spaces in general? We hear about LA's booming coworking scene, how spaces are differentiated through design, and we’ll talk to the founder of Epiphany Space, which aims to raise consciousness in a very different way. And, what do autographs reveal about Los Angeles?...
Huntington at 100, Notes on Decor
September 17, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens was established 100 years ago. But Henry Huntington’s footprint was far bigger than that. DnA looks at the man who was “probably the most important urban planner L.A. has ever had,” and at 1919, an exhibition about that turbulent year. Plus, Paul Fortune came to LA for sex and drugs and wound up with a glittering design career. He talks about “Notes on Decor, etc.”
Climate activism goes mainstream, from Porsche to porn
September 10, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesWill an all-electric Porsche drive sports car lovers to embrace clean energy vehicles? Can an adult video site help clean up plastic trash in the oceans? DnA looks at the climate messaging coming from unexpected quarters, even as the White House tries to roll back environmental protections. And we meet the folks with the future in their hands: teenagers. Santa Monica High School climate activists share their thoughts on taking inspiration from Greta Thunberg, on educating adults and the need...
Promenade 3.0; Kunlé Adeyemi
September 03, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesAfter it opened in 1989, Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade became one of the most popular shopping and entertainment destinations in the world. But the Internet has changed how we shop, watch movies and order food. So business leaders and designers have launched Promenade 3.0. Will lawn games, public seating and Instagram moments make it a must-visit place once again? And, coastal cities around the world are facing rising sea levels. What can we learn from Lagos? Hear from Nigerian-born...
Music Center Plaza; LA’s new tree czar
August 27, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesThe Music Center Plaza, opened in 1964 with a design by architect Welton Becket, has been reimagined for pedestrians rather than cars. “We had to walk a line between preserving as best we could what was here, but making it work better for the changing urban environment that we have here,” said architect Bob Hale. And Los Angeles has a new city forest officer, starting Tuesday. Rachel Malarich has two big goals: adding 90,000 trees to LA’s streets and private yards, and increasing the tree ...
Fifteen strangers share a house; Bird’s sustainability pitch
August 20, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesA large two-story Craftsman house on a residential street in Koreatown has been subdivided into 15 single-occupancy bedrooms and bathrooms, and common living and dining areas. “Cohaus” creates community and adds density without changing the architecture. But at least one neighbor is not happy with this arrangement. We find out why. And, Bird electric scooters are everywhere. But critics say they’re not as eco-friendly as the company has presented them. Bird’s head of sustainability explains...
Reimagining Museum Row; upending the general contractor industry
August 13, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesMuseum Row on Wilshire Boulevard is in the midst of some big changes, with major projects at the Petersen, Academy Museum, LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits and Craft Contemporary. Will these schemes be united, and how will they greet the street? And we'll hear about three architectural firms competing to reimagine La Brea Tar Pits. Plus, working with a general contractor can often be a challenge, whether you're building a house or looking to remodel. The start-up Sweeten wants to disrupt the general...
Sumptuous swimming pools; AfriCOBRA’s black power art
August 06, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesSummer in Southern California means swimming pools, and those glittering havens from the heat are celebrated in the new book “Splash: The Art of the Swimming Pool,” a collaboration between photographer Tim Street-Porter and his wife, the designer and writer Annie Kelly. Plus, we meet two artists from AfriCOBRA, a Chicago-based collective formed in the late 1960s that made art to empower black communities. Their work is part of the blockbuster show “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black...
Dodger Stadium upgrades; an ADU is born
July 30, 2019 20:30 - 28 minutesLet’s play ball! There’s a $100 million renovation coming to Chavez Ravine. Janet Marie Smith of the Dodgers gives us the rundown, and architecture critic Paul Goldberger discusses the evolution of the American ballpark. Plus, the city hopes Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, can be an answer to the housing shortage. And they’ve built one to prove it. We’ll hear about lessons learned from a little house in a backyard in Highland Park.