Design and Architecture

Designing a 'Vibe'

Victor Drai, back in LA with a glam new namesake club, on top of the W Hotel, says you can't have a good nightclub without good design. We speak with Drai and young club designer Christian Schulz about LA clubs and how you go about designing a "vibe." Also, Glendale looks for a curator of art for its recession-hit storefronts, and structural engineer Nabih Youssef on LA buildings and their readiness for a Chile-scale earthquake.

Ebooks and the iPad: A Match for the Coffee Table Book?

Ebooks may transmit words but can they furnish a room? We hear from Taschen's Josh Baker and Nook designer Robert Brunner about ebooks, the iPad and whether they can upstage the coffee table book. Plus,  Rose Apodaca remembers fashion designer Alexander McQueen, and Kimberli Meyer explains how artists are re-conceptualizing some LA billboards.

Will Design and Architecture Help Haiti Rise Again?

Haiti's catastrophe has killed thousands and destroyed Port-au-Prince, once a jewel in the Caribbean. We look at the architecture past, present and -- possibly -- future in Haiti's heart. Is there a design solution to the desperate need for low-cost housing in overpopulated cities? Can good design trump political mayhem? We hear from experts here and from Haiti: historian Patrick Sylvain, Architecture for Humanity's founder Cameron Sinclair, Global Green's Ted Bardacke, Alejandra Lillo, co-creator of Make It Right, and others.

From Hummers to Hybrids: Design in the Oughts Revisited

A decade of design and architecture is drawing to a close. How did we do? Hear from Dan Neil on the everyday object that trumps Twitter, Dakota Smith on how LA's ugliest structure made a Best Buildings list, Otis president Sammy Hoi on the state of LA's "creative economy" and Alissa Walker with some design and architecture books that capture the moment.

Welcoming Police Stations; A Sustainable Supersize House

Can architecture change the perception, and practice, of policing? We learn about the fancy new precinct stations in LA. Plus Keenen Wayans and his 16,000 square feet "sustainable" house, and City Councilman Kevin McKeown makes the case for an Eli Broad art museum in Santa Monica.

Healing by Design

You don't hear much about design in the healthcare reform debate, but the way a hospital is planned may affect the way you heal. We hear about the "hospital of the future," under construction in the Southland. Plus, advice on scarifying creations for Halloween from Where the Wild Things Are and from two Los Angeles window dressers.

Does Creative Architecture Inspire Creativity?

The LAUSD's new flagship arts high school opened last week. Will this icon for the underserved enable creativity? We hear about it from architect Wolf Prix, Rex Patton, some students and others. Also, we hear about the real (M)ad Men, from filmmaker Doug Pray. Plus, Ken Bernstein tells us why the city is surveying every single building in LA.

When Architecture Met Pop Culture

When the recession hits Los Angeles architect Richard Best, what sensible path does he follow? He joins a reality show. Hear his amazing story. Plus, Scott Neustadter talks about (500) Days of Summer's love affair with LA architecture; and James Harris on the secret history of the 100-year-old Santa Monica Pier.

Goodbye, Julius Shulman

Julius Shulman, architectural photographer whose seductive images sold California Midcentury Modern architecture and its lifestyle around the world, died on July 15 at the age of 98. We celebrate his legacy with recollections from some of the people who knew him -- Dion Neutra, Craig Krull, Juergen Nogai, Eric Bricker, Ann Videriksen, Frank Gehry and Elizabeth Armstrong -- as well as pithy taped commentary from Shulman himself.

In an online exclusive bonus, KCRW's very own Eric J. Lawrence talks about the best spaces in Los Angeles for free summertime concerts, and Dana Cuff talks about WPA 2.0, a competition open to anyone who wants to offer up an imaginative vision for new infrastructure in our post-industrial age.

Public Space Is the Happening Place in LA Design

Some of the most interesting new design in LA is going on in public space. Frances Anderton speaks with architecture critic Chris Hawthorne, landscape designer Mia Lehrer and architect Frederick Fisher about the public spaces and places to see this summer. Plus, Karen Ginsberg on a bright new future for Santa Monica's public conveniences, and Benny Chan on LA from 1000 feet.

Waste Not, Want Not

1. The vacuum, the washing machine and, now, the hand-dryer...industrial designer Sir James Dyson talks about his ongoing mission to keep ourselves and the rest of the world clean. Dennis Hathaway explains the fight against LA's "visual pollution," and we hear from a group of artists who are "upcycling" garbage into poetry.

    

Is It Goodbye to Architectural Excess?

Legacy Player:

The economic crash has brought a decade of lavish “icon”-building to a halt. Does this mean an architecture of “excess” will be replaced by one of “relevance?” Frances Anderton speaks with Frank Gehry and Architecture for Humanity’s Cameron Sinclair.

Surviving the Downturn, Creatively

Legacy Player:

Los Angeles has long been a magnet for architects and designers but the slump has hit them hard. Can they find creative solutions? We hear about the ups and downs of the downturn, and the lure of the virtual building site.

Interview with Ralph Eggleston, production designer of Wall-E

Legacy Player:

Architect of Cinematic Cities Builds Home for Cinematic Arts

Legacy Player:

The creator of fantasy cities also likes building the real thing. George Lucas, patron of the USC's School of Cinematic Arts on buildings on screen and in reality. David Rockwell, designer of the Oscars telecast, on how they'll make the show sparkle. And friends of Frank Gehry offer tributes as he meets a major milestone.