EUGENE, Ore. -- (May 14, 2010) -- David Cook, partner in the German–based architecture firm Behnisch Architekten, has been awarded the 2010 Pietro Belluschi Distinguished Visiting Professorship in the University of Oregon's architecture department.

Cook is teaching a studio and a seminar on the Eugene campus about architectural opportunities of agriculture in the urban fabric of contemporary cities. The Eugene lecture, "Which way forward?" will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 21, in Lawrence Hall room 177, 1190 Franklin Blvd.

Cook will lecture in Portland on Thursday, May 20, at 6 p.m. at the UO in Portland event room, 70 N.W. Couch Street. The lecture, "Ecology Design Synergy," and will coincide with the exhibit now on display at the UO in Portland Commons. The lecture and exhibition in Portland is a showcase of ten collaborative efforts between Behnisch Architekten and the engineering firm Transsolar Climate Engineering to illustrate the working methods, the results of previous collaborations and prospects for the future.

According to Cook, "The exhibition is not intended to present models for sustainable architecture—instead, the exhibition is a reflection of the five human senses. By drawing on the senses, the exhibition attempts to provoke a re-definition of the term 'sustainability' by focusing on the complex series of relationships between human beings and their immediate environment."

Cook is a partner in the Stuttgart, Germany office of Behnisch Architekten. He is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architects Registration Board in Great Britain.

Portland is among the last stops for the exhibit that has been traveling the globe for four years in Germany, Austria, Mexico and the United Kingdom, plus U.S. locations in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

The Belluschi Professorship was established at the School of Architecture and Allied Arts in 1993 as an annually endowed fund to foster and promote architectural design education. Pietro Belluschi (1899-1994), one of the most influential architects in Oregon's history, is renowned for his major contributions to the establishment of a Northwest regional style. The endowment supports a term long appointment for a prominent architect to teach and lecture at the University of Oregon.

About the University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 63 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Karen Johnson, AAA communications, karenjj@uoregon.edu, 541-346-3603

Source: Christine Theodoropoulos, head, Department of Architecture, 541-346-3656, ctheodor@uoreogn.edu

Links:

Press Release (PDF): http://www.behnisch.com/site_files/pdf/Press_Release.pdf

Transsolar website: http://www.transsolar.com/index_e.htm?../02_unternehmen/02_4_lehre_e.htm

Story by Nicholas Venezia.

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