Episode Overview:

We're excited to have Design Principal Michael Maltzan, FAIA, NCARB Certified - architect behind Star Apartments, a project so innovative it was featured in Time Magazine's "25 Best Inventions" for its transformative approach to housing solutions, talk with Joe as they break down the agile design methodology, architectures role in pushing society boundaries, and the power behind generational creativity.

Key Takeaway 1: The importance of design collaboration: The episode emphasizes the significance of collaboration in design, highlighting the need for guidance, active listening, and trust to foster receptiveness to new ideas. Key elements such as honesty, openness, and shared ambition result in better project outcomes benefiting the client and community.

Key Takeaway 2: Pushing design boundaries and responsibilities of architects: Michael Maltzan discusses the impact of design on projects, emphasizes the importance for architects to continue to push design forward, and the need for a broader range of design influences.

Key Takeaway 3: Architecture's role in social change and community impact: The episode explores the impact of architecture on social change, stressing the importance of design in promoting unity, sustainability, and positive change in communities.

Highlights:

  • 15:44 - Generational influence on creative pursuits in architecture
  • 21:44 - Architects responsibility for pushing design forward
  • 31:52 - Design conversation, collaborative environment
  • 38:43 - Michael’s partnership with Guy Nordenson
  • 45:03 - Architecture and community issues

Follow Michael Maltzan:

Michael Maltzan founded Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. in 1995. His projects cross a wide range of categories, from cultural institutions to city infrastructure. His notable projects include the Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University, MoMA QNS, Star Apartments, the Pittman Dowell Residence, the new Sixth Street Viaduct, MIT Vassar Street Residential Hall, and the Qaumajuq, the Inuit art centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Michael’s work has gained international acclaim for innovation in both design and construction. It has been recognized with five Progressive Architecture awards, 50 citations from local, state and national chapters of the American Institute of Architects, the Rudy Bruner Foundation’s Gold Medal for Urban Excellence, the Zumtobel Group Award for Innovations for Sustainability & Humanity in the Built Environment, and a 2020 Best of the Millennium AIA LA Honor Award.

The firm and its projects have been widely featured in national and international publications and have been exhibited in museums worldwide, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, Museum of Modern Art New York, the Heinz Architectural Center, the Canadian Center for Architecture, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. The firm’s work was selected for the 2006, 2018, and 2020 La Biennale di Venezia.

Website: https://www.mmaltzan.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/michaelmaltzanarchitecture
X: https://twitter.com/MaltzanArch

Connect with Joe Walker

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-walker-335b0914/