Arts & Entertainment
Renowned architect Rob Rogers, lead architect of new St. Petersburg Pier, presents "The Impact of Small Things
Rob Rogers' lecture on Oct. 15 to explore his body of work
The Tampa Bay Foundation for Architecture + Design (TBFAD) is hosting renowned architect Robert M. Rogers, FAIA, the lead architect for the new St. Petersburg Pier, as part of the Tampa Bay Design Week series of events featuring art, architecture, urban planning and culinary design. Rogers’ lecture, “The Impact of Small Things” will take place from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15 in the Garden Room at Sunken Gardens, 1825 4th St. N. in St. Petersburg.
Rogers’ firm, Rogers Partners Architects+Urban Designers, was selected with ASD and Ken Smith Landscape Architects as the winning team for the design of the new St. Pete Pier. In addition, Rogers was selected as the lead juror for American Institute of Architects (AIA) Tampa Bay’s annual Celebrate Design Awards, which will be held on Nov. 5. The Tampa Bay Design Week presentation is an opportunity to get a glimpse into the mind of a great designer who has an award-winning body of work.
Rogers creates institutional and cultural buildings that are civic works. Believing that even a single building is a piece of urban design and that every surface deserves intimate attention, his work assertively and elegantly combines urbanism and architecture. Rogers continually elevates accepted conventions in his quest to develop intelligent, rich and timeless contributions to our physical environment. The firm’s current and notable projects include: the redesigns of Constitution Gardens on the National Mall and President’s Park, both in Washington, DC; new headquarters for international advertising firm Droga5 in New York City; SandRidge Energy Commons in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Henderson-Hopkins School, an independent K-8 school in partnership with Johns Hopkins University School of Education in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Rogers is also an accomplished author and architectural theorist. His new book, Learning Through Practice, discusses the principal desires that guide his practice. He is intrigued by the impact of small things, pursues delight as an experience, and seeks authenticity in realizing projects for buildings, landscapes, and the public realm.
“Over the course of my career,” stated Rogers, “I have focused primarily – but not exclusively – on institutional buildings, cultural buildings and civic spaces. A mainstay of my practice has been to unify multiple disciplines and design regenerative environments where architecture, landscapes and urban spaces converge.”
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An active lecturer, Rogers has served as an architecture critic and professor at academic institutions around the country including the Pratt Institute, Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, Rice University, Washington University (St Louis), Syracuse University, the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and Tulane University. He held the Cullinan Chair in Architecture at Rice University in 2004.
He attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he earned a Masters of Design Studies with Distinction. He received a Bachelor of Arts, and a Bachelor Architecture from Rice University.
The Tampa Bay Design Week presentation will cover Rogers’ body of work and is not specific to the St. Petersbug Pier. Registration through the Tampa Bay Design Week website, TampaBayDesignWeek.com, is required, and a $5 donation will be requested at the door.
Rogers is the second internationally recognized architect to present a lecture during Design Week, which is organized to educate, inspire and engage. California architect and educator Brian Cantley will present a lecture on Oct. 13 in the C.W. Bill Young Hall at the University of South Florida.
“Tampa Bay has a rich design history and growing creative community,” said Kim Headland, architect and festival chair. “Tampa Bay Design Week is an opportunity to celebrate, discuss, and explore design in our region.”
Design Week has daily design-oriented events planned between October 9-17, including walking, bike, e-boat and dining tours. It culminates with the family-friendly interactive “Made in the Shade” Pop-Up Design Festival (the “flash mob” of design) on Saturday, Oct. 17 in downtown Tampa.
For more information and to register for individual events, go to www.tampabaydesignweek.com or call 813-229-3411 with questions.
