Featured Events in Quincy in April, 2025 (March Updated)

Architecture must bridge the gap between human life and the natural environment, an ethos deeply ingrained in Kengo Kuma’s philosophy. Kuma prioritizes harmony with surroundings, using materials like wood and stone that are not only sustainable but also evoke warmth and intimacy. This approach reconnects people with nature while redefining the boundaries of urban spaces. Throughout Kuma’s projects, such as the Japan National Stadium and V&A Dundee in Scotland, Kuma has challenged modernist trends that overemphasize industrial materials like concrete. Instead, he advocates for lightness, transparency, and adaptability—values rooted in Japanese traditions that are also universally resonant. Kuma pursues “openness and intimacy” in his designs, promoting structures that welcome their surroundings rather than dominate them. By combining traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, architecture can evolve into spaces that respect both cultural heritage and ecological systems. In this lecture, Kuma invites architects, designers, and students to reconsider their roles in fostering a symbiotic relationship with nature. Together, we can craft a future where urban landscapes complement their natural contexts rather than compete with them. Information Source: Harvard University Graduate School of Design | eventbrite

David Sheldon-Hicks is the founder of Territory Studio, which specializes in world-building and storytelling for film and next-generation digital brand platforms. The studio has created visualizations for films such as Guardians of the Galaxy, The Martian, Ex Machina, Bladerunner 2049, and Dune. In this talk, Sheldon-Hicks explores the depiction of technology and AI in films and how these technologies can be used to inspire innovative design projects. Information Source: Harvard University Graduate School of Design | eventbrite

The ReefLine’s Founder and Artistic Director, Ximena Caminos, invites you to explore “marine acupuncture,” an innovative practice combining high art and deep science to target critical pressure points within our oceans. The ReefLine will be a 7-mile underwater public sculpture park, snorkel trail, and hybrid reef off Miami Beach’s shoreline, fostering environmental awareness through art and action-driven conservation. Conceived by cultural place-maker Ximena Caminos and developed by the BlueLab Preservation Society, the ReefLine nonprofit team collaborates with architecture firm OMA as well as marine biologists, researchers, architects, and coastal engineers to design the master plan. Caminos’ lecture, followed by a conversation with Pedro Alonzo and Charles Waldheim, highlights how this pioneering approach uses human ingenuity to ignite ecological processes that help the reef regenerate. The ReefLine’s cross-disciplinary methodology offers a compelling example of how collaboration can help solve some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. This event is supported by the Melissa Kaish and Jonathan Dorfman Makers Fund. Information Source: Harvard University Graduate School of Design | eventbrite