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SKETCH_PAD
© Media Notes |
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Prepared Text of Catalyst Principal Matthew B. Ackerman's Address to Bullhead City Mayor Hakim (& Introduction of Keynote Speaker Fred Kent) Mayor Hakim & Colleagues:
First of all, let me say what a priviledge it is to be able to participate with you here today. My name is Matt Ackerman, founding partner of Catalyst Architecture. Our firm specializes in master planning, public, commercial, and custom residential work. My partner Jeffrey Zucker and I have dedicated our business to the thoughtful integration of our natural and built environments, and have devoted our work to sustainable planning and building practices. In addition to my private practice, I am the current chair of the Yavapai County Sustainable Planning Committee, as well as the Grand Canyon Chapter of the American Institute of Architect's Committee on the Environment. I have had the opportunity over the years to work on numerous mixed-use waterfront designs, from the Colorado River just outside, to the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. Each commission has presented its unique challenges, and seemingly unsurmountable obstacles. There are few situations however where persistent, inspired leadership with the 'right' vision cannot find a way to "make-it-happen". You do have the opportunity to truly become a great waterfront here. One that can become a model of sustainable development-- not just for Mohave County-- but for the southwest. There are a lot of great minds here, with a lot of great ideas. But the pressures for, what I would call "dis-integrated", business-as-usual development are intense. To truly create a great community with a great waterfront, will require a committed, pro-active, public-private collaboration in order to make the visions presented here today a reality. As chairman of the AIA's Grand Canyon Chapter of COTE, whose mission is to advance, educate, and advocate sustainable development, I would like to re-affirm my organizations availability and resources to assist you through this process. I am encouraged by the receptivity and participation you and your staff have shown here today, and look forward to envisioning this exciting future with you.  Introduction of Keynote Speaker Fred Kent…It is a great honor to introduce our keynote speaker. Fred & I probably go back over thirty-some odd… minutes now. Actually–– our common design philosophies do go back many years. From my earliest exposure as a university student to the towns, villages, and urban centers of western Europe, I was trained to understand that the primary measure of a successful piece of architecture was how well that building (or group of buildings) relates to its surroundings. How well its design accomodates the "places" which the complex realms of human activity require. How well the building's edges connect with, and relate to its adjacent streets and neighborhoods, and how well the development respects and actually contributes to the public domain. Unfortunately, so much of even the most highly regarded architectural design work today is– what I would call– "navel" architecture (as in narrowly self-focused). It is as if to say "Look at me… I'm the design of a great architect," with little regard for how well the building actually relates to what's going on around it, or how pedestrians actually experience the building within its civic context. It is my personal belief that a building's 'edges', as well as the space between buildings, is just as important to the success of a piece of architecture, as how creatively that facililty allocates and distributes the spaces within its interior towards the functions it was built to contain. If we believe that as building officials, designers, planners, and engineers, we are responsible for not just our buildings and streets, but our built environment, then it is imperative that we understand just how our buildings and other structures are contributing to, or detracting from the overall health and vitality of that environment. Fred Kent has been a lifelong student of the built environment, and is one of the world's most respected thinkers on livibility, smart growth, and urban sustainability. Fred is the president and founder of the New York-based non-profit Project For Public Spaces. Studying and working with legendary urban theorists Margaret Mead and William Whyte, Fred has traveled the globe observing and recording the myriad ways in which people use the places and spaces of our towns and cities. He understands the complex elements and interrelationships of a great city, civic plaza, street, or waterfront, and has provided his astute observations to developers, citizen groups, and governmental agencies across the world. Ladies and gentlemen, Fred Kent… |
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