February 27, 5:00 pm, lecture; 6:00–8:00 pm, opening
The work of Taft Architects is the result of a unique collaboration, initially of the three partners, John J. Casbarian, Danny Samuels, and Robert H. Timme who founded the firm in Houston in 1973, and subsequently, the two remaining partners, after Timme’s departure in 1995.
Two important aspects characterize the work of Taft Architects. The first is the design process itself, which fosters exploration and discovery, resulting in a body of work that is more divergent than convergent in its character. At the initial stages of each project a number of “pure” schemes are generated as distinct alternative strategies. These ideas are then tested and evaluated, and the strengths of each are later combined into a unique and often more complex design system. This is a recognition that any environment may have multiple readings of its organizational basis.
The second aspect of the work, the set of issues that are deemed important, is based in the tradition of finding in the problem itself the concerns that shape the design. These include: the context, both physical and historical; the relationship and demands of the spatial animation; the desires and aspirations of the client; and the practicalities of construction and budget.
This exhibition, a reflection on over fifty years of work, is designed in two parts. The first is a formal documentation of fifteen projects grouped into three specific ordering systems or typologies, centroidal, planar/field and hybrid aggregation. The second part is loosely structured around the design process and the historical evolution of the practice.
Exhibitions at Rice
As a curatorial program of the Rice School of Architecture, Exhibitions at Rice uses the lens of design research to look at the world differently. Mobilizing a full spectrum of architectural representation—including drawing, imaging, making, and prototyping—this program weaves together scholarly inquiry, visual experimentation, and public engagement. Across all scales, from objects to buildings, cities, and the planet, Exhibitions at Rice engages the discipline of architecture as a cultural practice with a civic mandate, creating new discourses for both local and global audiences.