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I Would Prefer Not To

Arts & Culture Podcasts

Why does an architect turn down a commission? What could change if we knew? An interview podcast series produced by MIT's Critical Broadcasting Lab sheds light on a necessary but understudied part of architectural practice.

Location:

United States

Description:

Why does an architect turn down a commission? What could change if we knew? An interview podcast series produced by MIT's Critical Broadcasting Lab sheds light on a necessary but understudied part of architectural practice.

Language:

English


Episodes
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Colectivo C733

3/11/2024
Ana Miljački speaks with members of the Mexico City-based group about the tumultuous nature of collective practice and a shifting paradigm in civic architecture.

Duration:01:19:40

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Future Firm

2/12/2024
Ana Miljački speaks with Ann Lui and Craig Reschke of Chicago-based studio Future Firm about expanding the role of the architect, absorbing risk, and how to respond when asked to do magic.

Duration:01:00:45

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Annabelle Selldorf

1/16/2024
In the Season 3 premiere, Ana Miljački speaks with Annabelle Selldorf about how falling in love with projects can result in heartbreak, what it means to transcend style, and the limitations of typological experience.

Duration:00:47:41

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Nina Cooke John

11/9/2023
Ana is joined by Nina Cooke John in this episode to discuss the impulses of feedback loops in the design process, slowness, the different ways in which institutions engage with communities and figuration as it relates to seeing oneself in a monument.

Duration:00:50:30

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Claire Weisz

10/21/2023
In this episode, Ana speaks with Claire Weisz, founding partner of WXY, on structural flexibility as an office, sharing ethical burdens with clients, advocating on behalf of built and material histories, and using work at large scales to catalyze work for other architectural practices.

Duration:00:57:37

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Andrés Jaque

9/21/2023
Ana talks with Andres Jaque of Office for Political Innovation on what it means to be anarchitectural dissident, the status of formal decisions in his work, and how listening can be animportant tool for architects.

Duration:00:55:12

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Chandra Robinson of Lever Architecture

6/8/2023
In this episode, Ana hosts Chandra Robinson of Lever Architecture. They discuss ways to support smaller-scale builders, the importance of proximity in sourcing materials, and balancing innovation with the immediate needs of community and client, among other topics.

Duration:00:50:43

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SCHAUM/SHIEH

5/11/2023
In this episode, Ana Miljački speaks with Troy Schaum and Rosalyne Shieh of SCHAUM/SHIEH about matching a client’s ambition with economic feasibility, the privilege of being able to refuse work, the space that emerges out of energetic conflict, and the power of doing nothing.

Duration:00:57:16

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Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam Architects

4/14/2023
Atlanta-based architects Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam chat with Ana Miljački about inventiveness and emotional specificity.

Duration:00:49:15

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Michael Maltzan Architecture

3/10/2023
Michael Maltzan discusses the architect’s role in negotiating complex scenarios and the potential of long-term client relationships to enable large-scale change.

Duration:00:47:07

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Colloqate

2/9/2023
Ana Miljački speaks with Bryan Lee about design justice and challenging the architectural status quo.

Duration:00:41:12

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Kennedy & Violich Architecture

12/1/2022
Sheila Kennedy and Frano Violich of Boston-based KVA MATx chat with Ana about being proactive, finding the right set of ingredients to create commissions, viewing plants as constituents, and balancing a rejection of architecture-as-service with a commitment to professional skills and rigor.

Duration:00:45:34

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Liz Diller

11/10/2022
Liz Diller of New York–based Diller Scofidio + Renfro speaks with Ana Miljački about evaluating a commission’s ethics, translating projects for different audiences, and critiquing institutions from within.

Duration:00:51:13

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Hood Design Studio

10/11/2022
Ana Miljački speaks with Walter Hood about artistic freedom, working with institutions, and succeeding through failure.
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Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects

9/8/2022
Ana chats with Tod and Billie of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects about the contrasts of institutional versus commercial projects, developing relationships with clients, and finding meaning in work.
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Tatiana Bilbao Estudio

8/12/2022
Tatiana of CDMX-based Tatiana Bilbao Estudio converses with Ana on working with governmental bodies, social housing, changing office culture, and how to engage with leverage points within systems of power.
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Studio Zewde

7/7/2022
Sara Zewde and Ana Miljački talk about alternative ways of doing landscape architecture, racial tokenism, design cyphers, and the value of architects as synthesizers.
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SO — IL

6/10/2022
Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu of Brooklyn-based studio SO — IL chat with Ana Miljački on a wide range of topics, such as discerning a client’s political intentions, the power of an architectural brand, and the possibility for architecture to transcend its relationship with an institutional client.
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WORKac

4/13/2022
Amale Andraos and Dan Wood of NY-based firm WORKac talk with Ana Miljački about different facets of sustainability, the lessons learned from saying yes to everything, and regrets among other topics.

Duration:00:38:45