This week you can: learn how Nike designers push bodies and boundaries; sweat in a disco egg; discuss County and City climate-change design plans; consider how Los Angeles can maximize the opportunities of a multi-modal mobility system; and ogle lots of shiny cars.
1) John Hoke: Quantum Craft – Imagining the Future of Sport
Just where are the limits of human potential? As Chief Design Officer at Nike, John Hoke works with advanced computer models and engineering to design customized shoes and apparel that help push the limits of athletic performance. By applying techniques like biomimicry modeling and rapid 3D-printed prototyping, Hoke and his team of over 1,000 designers are constantly exploring the intersection of athlete and augmentation to push the boundaries of sport. An architect by training, Mr. Hoke will discuss his education, his work at Nike and his theoretical and pragmatic approach to blurring the lines between design and body.
When: Wednesday, Nov 28, 7 pm
Where: SCI-Arc, W.M. Keck Lecture Hall, 960 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013.
Tickets: Free; click here for more information.
2) Steam Egg: Public Steam Sessions in November & December
Part disco ball, part aromatherapy and part sauna, the Steam Egg was created by artist Michael Parker to offer a unique social experience of art, music and sweat. Now Materials and Applications has put the Steam Egg into an installation in Mandarin Plaza in Chinatown and will open it to the public this Sunday and two Sundays in December. Bring your own swim suit and towel and grab a seat in the ovoidal-shaped steam room among six or seven of your closest friends or strangers. Enjoy heated vapors infused with custom scents created by M&A’s very own Herb Jocky. Add live music and you just might feel like you’re at a disco. Water and changing rooms are provided.
When: Wednesday, Nov 28, 6 – 10 pm; Sunday, December 16th and Sunday, December 30th, 4 – 8 pm.
Where: Mandarin Plaza Courtyard, 970 N. Broadway Ave. Ste 206, Los Angeles, 90012.
Tickets: Free; click here for more information.
3) Resilient LA: Scaling Up Strategies to Prep for Climate Change
In the midst of the most disastrous fire season in California history, how can we better design, plan and build for extreme heat waves, wildfires, droughts and other natural disasters exacerbated by climate change? This event will include presentations by the City of Los Angeles’s Chief Resilience Officer on the recently released Resilient Los Angeles Plan and Los Angeles County’s Chief Sustainability Officer on the in-progress countywide Sustainability Plan. The panel will be followed by an open discussion on how we can work together to raise awareness and implement local actions at the individual, neighborhood and government level. KCRW’s Warren Olney will moderate the conversation. You can see the list of panelists here.
When: Thursday, Nov 29, 6 – 9 pm
Where: TreePeople Center, 12601 Mulholland Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Limited on-site parking; carpooling is encouraged.
Tickets: $10-$35; click here for information and tickets.
4) Planes, Trains and Birds
The confluence of Metro’s transit expansion with the radical adoption of ride-share and electric scooters is monumental, for Los Angeles and other cities across America. This new and expanding model presents a multitude of opportunities and challenges for designers. How should designers compellingly integrate an expanding mobility suite in this dynamic and fast-changing space? How do public and private transportation agencies complement one another to ensure efficient and equitable access to a multi-modal mobility system? Join the A+D Museum as it hosts a moderated panel discussion exploring the crossroads of design, policy, and disruptive transit. Will Wright, Director of Government and Public Affairs (AIA|LA) will talk with Nick Saponara, LA Metro; Marla Westervelt, Bird; Scott D. Baker, RELM; and Andrew Byrne of the architecture firm Grimshaw.
When: Thursday, Nov 29, 6 pm
Where: A+D Museum, 900 E 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tickets: Free. You can RSVP here.
5) LA Auto Show
In spite of a rapidly changing LA mobility scene (see above), cars still have a huge hold on Angelenos’ hearts and mind. Beginning November 30, the LA Auto Show comes back to the Convention Center with the newest, fastest and shiniest in the industry. One of the largest auto shows in the world, the LA Auto Show features over 1,000 cars, special events, celebrity appearances and an exhibit of after market customization where you can really see how crazy some people are for their cars! You can even take a test drive. For car enthusiasts of all ages.
When: Opens Friday, Nov 30 and runs through Dec 9
Where: LA Convention Center, 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Tickets: $15. Some discounts available. Get tickets and complete event details here.