The phrases “public housing” or “low-income housing” do not immediately speak to architectural innovation. Often, low income-housing projects appear to have been built as cheaply as possible and address only the problem of shelter.
As several recent housing developments by Michael Maltzan in Los Angeles prove, social housing does not need to be reductive. Instead, these projects force us to ask: What if low-income housing was perceived as a vanguard of innovative, responsive architecture?
Join the AIANY Housing Committee for a discussion about innovative social housing with Michael Maltzan, FAIA.
Speaker: Michael Maltzan, FAIA, Design Principal, Michael Maltzan Architecture
Michael Maltzan, FAIA, founded Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. in 1995. Through a deep belief in architecture’s role in our cities and landscapes, he has succeeded in creating new formal, cultural, and social connections across a range of scales and programs. Maltzan received an MArch from the Graduate School of Design Harvard University and BFA and BArch degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design. His award-winning projects have been published and exhibited internationally. Maltzan is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, a recipient of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, and the 2016 AIA Los Angeles Gold Medal Honoree.
Michael Maltzan’s projects cross a wide range of typologies, from cultural institutions to city infrastructure. The firm’s multi-family residential projects completed over the past decade, including Star Apartments, New Carver Apartments, Crest Apartments, and One Santa Fe, have gained international acclaim for their innovation in both design and construction. These award-winning projects have been featured in exhibitions and publications worldwide and are the focus of Michael’s most recent book, Social Transparency: Projects on Housing, published by Columbia University Press in 2016.
Organized by: AIANY Housing Committee
