On Lightness

This month, I interviewed architecture and engineering historian Dr. Giulia Boller , who is a lecturer and senior postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich. We talked about her PhD and her recently published book on the shell builder Heinz Isler and reflected on the role of mid-century lightweight pioneers in the reduction of building material. This episode was moderated and produced by Leon Hidalgo....

This month, I interviewed ultralight backpacker and storeowner Christian Handtke from chrispacks , who has spend most of his lifetime in the outdoors. We talked about his experience hiking the pacific crest trail, ultralight gear and the material it is made of. This episode was moderated and produced by Leon Hidalgo. lllightness is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support m...

This month, I interviewed architect and researcher Alessandro Pasero , a PhD candidate at Politecnico di Milano. We talked about his research on performance and the histories of ephemeral architectural production, and reflected on the tension between temporary spatial practices and the enduring weight of our built environment. This episode was moderated and produced by Leon Hidalgo. lllightness is...

This month I interviewed engineer Julian Lienhard, partner and founder of str.ucture and head of the structural design chair at the University of Kassel . We talked about his academic biography, working at SL Rasch , ultralight backpacking, and his experiences at the Expo in Japan. In our conversation it became obvious that Julian found his calling and has this immense amount of energy and motivat...

In this episode of On Lightness , I have the pleasure of speaking with the visionary photographer Michael Wesely . We talk about his breathtaking year-long exposure photographs, how he became the godfather of this unique art form, and how his work reshapes our perception of time, space, and the built environment around us. It was a refreshing change to explore lightness through the lens of a photo...

In this episode of “On Lightness” I am having a conversation with membrane and cable engineer Dr. Rosemarie Wagner. We are talking about her way into the world of lightweight engineering, favorite structures and what she learned from being a professor in the architectural field for several decades now. I felt inspired like many of her students by Dr. Wagners motivation for and work in the field of...

In this episode of “On Lightness” I am having a conversation with architect and industrial designer Christian Borger (aka @ see_borg ). We are talking about what lightness means to him, how he stumbled into becoming a furniture designer and how ultimately working with his hands is his ideal state of being. I found this conversation deeply inspiring and felt like we found a lot of common ground on...

In this episode of “On Lightness” I am talking to Nicolas Dorval-Bory, who was recently announced Director of the ENSA Versailles Architecture School. He is based in Paris, where we met in his architecture office to talk about lightness. He challenged a lot of views I had, which was very enjoyable. This episode was moderated and produced by Leon Hidalgo. The following article is meant as an inform...

In this episode of “On Lightness” I am talking to Dr. Christoph Gengnagel, who is both partner at Bollinger+Grohmann Engineers and professor and researcher at the architecture and urbanism department of the UdK Berlin. We talk about the beauty of lightness, how it can be researched and how it can be really hard to implement it as a construction practitioner. This episode was moderated and produced...

In this episode, I am talking to Dr. Prof. Thomas Speck about the meaning of lightness in the field of biology, exploring topics like the material efficiency of nature, biomimicry, half-timbered houses, Frei Otto, and the many projects Dr. Speck did in collaboration with Jan Knippers and Achim Menges from the IntCDC Cluster at the University of Stuttgart. This episode was moderated and produced by...

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