Lebanese architect to give public lecture in Phoenix
<p>World-renowned architect Bernard Khoury, noted for building a nightclub on the site of a former refugee camp in Beirut, will give a free lecture at 7 p.m., Feb. 9, at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, room 128, at Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus.</p><separator></separator><p>Khoury is known as a bad boy of architecture, most notably for building the nightclub on the refugee campsite. In Phoenix he will speak about healing through the creation of an architecture that emerges in response to difficult conditions, such as damage from war or the social issues arising from the work of irresponsible developers. Khoury thrives on resuscitating concrete carcasses abandoned by others to save them from demolition by putting them to other uses.</p><separator></separator><p>Bernard Khoury’s roots stretch deeply into Modernism by way of his father, whom Khoury calls "a hard core Modernist." Khoury was trained in the United States, studying architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design and later receiving a Masters in Architectural Studies from Harvard University.</p><separator></separator><p>He returned to Lebanon after the civil war ended in that country in the early 1990s. Khoury started an independent architectural practice in 1993. Over the past 15 years, his office has developed a specialized international reputation and an incredibly diverse portfolio. His work has been extensively published by the international press</p><separator></separator><p>In 2001, he was awarded by the municipality of Rome with an honorable mention for the Borromini prize, which is given to architects under 40. In 2004, he was awarded the Architecture + Award. He has lectured and exhibited his work in prestigious academic institutions in Europe and the United States, including a solo show of his work given by the International Forum for Contemporary Architecture at the Aedes gallery in Berlin (2003).</p><separator></separator><p>The lecture is sponsored by F.A.R.@ASU.</p><separator></separator><p>For more information contact Sarah Munter at F.A.R., <a href="mailto:sarah.munter@asu.edu">sarah.munter@asu.edu</a> or (602) 258-1852.</p><separator></separator><p><i>About F.A.R.: A groundbreaking artist-driven research program based in downtown Phoenix, F.A.R. (Future Arts Research) hosts 10-15 leading national and international artists, critics and scholars each year. Working with an applied-research methodology, participants collaborate with various departments within the university and work closely with the surrounding community to explore new concepts, test new ideas, and present the results of their research. F.A.R. is an initiative of the University President’s Office. </i></p>