Fred Fisher introduces Thom Mayne and Michael Rotondi of Morphosis, noting their prestige within the architectural profession, their dedication to teaching, and their commitment to advancing architecture. Fisher notes that Mayne was responsible for organizing the current lecture series, about which Mayne received “a discouraging word from just about everybody,” but which “I think it stands as a unique and valuable series of events and that we’re all indebted to him for that.”
The introduction is followed by a long, silent set-up of the slides.
Thom Mayne quotes Colin Rowe from the Five Architects catalog regarding the dual vision of architects as visionaries and victims of circumstance. He mentions the responsive systems approach of Christopher Alexander and Ralph Knowles as examples of what Morphosis is not doing.
Michael Rotondi describes the five major interests he and Mayne share: program, environment, technology, structure, and communication, or “the architectural language of project.”
Mayne and Rotondi present the Delmer House, the Baja Mar vacation house, the Baja California addition to community hospital, and the unbuilt house in Rochester, New York. Mayne and Rotondi present their project for a house for physician in Nigeria, the 1-2-3-4 addition in Venice, and an addition to house in the Palisades.
The video ends abruptly, probably just a bit before they actually finished speaking.
