"Nothing More, Nothing Less"
One of the pressingly critical issues of our age is war. Given its awesome and fearsome scale, and the belligerence of those who wage it, and the leveling destruction of places, and the ensuing and harrowing flight and displacement of people, and the depth of their trauma and suffering, architecture is convoked—uniquely so and in ways unlike any other in its impressive past—to respond with thoughtful dispatch to a human and material plight unparalleled in history. This talk aims to explore the imperatives of and directives for the construction of architectural ecosystems attentive, sensitive, and responsive to the deep-rooted psychological, social, cultural, and environmental needs, requirements, and conventions of people who have faced the ultimate of existential threats and of the locales that, despite their overwhelming ruin, hold the promise of healing and recovery.
David Joel Thomas teaches at a number of Chicagoland institutions including The School of the Art Institute and Columbia College. His dual interest in Philosophy and Architecture reflects his commitment to bridging the gap between critical research and creative synthesis.
