Tag Archive for: Frank Harmon Lecture

Frank Harmon Receives Fay Jones School Legacy Medal in Architecture

Frank Harmon architect, author

Photo by Will Harmon

Last week, the University of Arkansas honored Raleigh, NC, architect and author Frank Harmon, FAIA, when he received the Fay Jones School Legacy Medal in Architecture.

The award honors and extends the legacy of the School of Architecture and Design’s namesake, American architect and Arkansas native E. Fay Jones (1921-2004) – a legacy that conveys “a spirit of generosity, a dedication to the place and people of his upbringing, deep relationships with his clients and their commissions, and a commitment to the practice and discipline of architecture.”

 “I couldn’t hope for a greater honor,” Harmon said, smiling broadly, when he received word of the award from the School’s Dean Peter MacKeith. “Fay Jones’s buildings fit their surroundings as comfortably as a bird’s nest in a thicket. He was as gentle and courteous in person as his buildings were in the landscape. I admired him immensely.”

Fay Jones’s work, including his widely celebrated Thorncrown Chapel, exude “an attentiveness to the particulars of siting and environmental circumstances, and to the specifics of constructed space, configured natural light, and the crafting of natural materials,” MacKeith stated in his letter to Harmon. A Legacy Medal recipient should be “an architect whose career and work resonates with these aspects of Fay Jones’ life and work. [And] In the view of our selection committee, your work resonates with the example set by our namesake.”

Frank Harmon, FAIA, has designed sustainable modern buildings across the Southeast for 40 years. He discovered architecture, he says, as a child playing in the streams and woods surrounding his boyhood home in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Recognized nationally as a leader in modern, sustainable, regionally appropriate design, Harmon’s work engages pressing contemporary issues such as placelessness, sustainability, and restoration of cities and nature. From small sheds and houses to 70,000-square-foot corporate headquarters and LEED-certified environmental education facilities, his buildings are specific to their sites and use materials to connect them to their landscapes, such as hurricane-felled cypress and rock from local quarries. Combined with airy breezeways, outdoor living spaces, deep roof overhangs, and unpainted wood, Harmon’s projects embody the vernacular legacy of the South while maintaining a distinguished modernism.

Harmon’s buildings have been published often and have garnered over 200 design awards. In 2013, he received AIA NC’s highest honor, the Gold Medal for Architectural Design.

As the third recipient of the Fay Jones School’s legacy award, Harmon received an inscribed medal and presented a public lecture at the School on the afternoon of January 27. Entitled “Writing and Sketching as Keys to Design,” his lecture emanated from his book “Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See” (ORO Editions, publisher).

For more information on Frank Harmon and his legacy, click here.

For more information on the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, click here.

For more information on “Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See,” click here.

Forever in Demand: Frank in Houston

FRANK HARMON, FAIA, will open the Conference facet of the “The BRIDGE,” the 85th Annual Conference & Design Expo to be held in the Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, October 3-5, sponsored by the Texas Society of Architects. Frank’s keynote address will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday the 4th, with an expected 1500 in attendance. At 12:30 that afternoon, Frank will sign copies of his book “Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See” on sale in the Conference Bookstore, and bookplates for those who already own the book.

Frank Harmon architect, author

Distinguished Speaker: Clemson’s Spring Lecture Series Includes Frank Harmon

Frank Harmon architect, author

Frank Harmon, FAIA  |  Photo by Will Harmon

When Clemson University’s School of Architecture announced its 2024 Spring Lecture Series recently, Raleigh-based architect, author, and educator Frank Harmon, FAIA, appeared as one of the distinguished speakers. He will address participants in the Clemson Design Center, which is located in the Cigar Factory on East Bay in  Charleston, SC, on April 3 at 12:30 p.m.

The Series’ theme is “The Third Place,” referring to spaces for socialization separate from the usual environments of home and work, such as churches, community centers, neighborhood bars, and coffee shops. It will examine how the disruption of social, political, and economic structure is reframing society’s relationships with traditional third places.

The series will also discuss the intersection of identity, cultural expression, and social interaction, along with the impact gentrification, displacement, and creative production have on communities.

Frank Harmon has been a professor of architecture at the NC State University College of Design for three decades. He has also taught at the Architectural Association in London and served as a visiting critic at Harvard, the University of Virginia, and Auburn University’s Rural Studio.

Clemson’s School of Architecture Spring Lecture Series will be streamed on Zoom. The lectures are free and open to the public. For details, including how to attend via Zoom, CLICK HERE.

 

Native Places

AIA Triangle Hosts Frank Harmon Lecture

Native Places

Frank Harmon (Photo by William Morgan)

April 22, 2021

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

1 LU credit

Celebrated architect and author, Frank Harmon, FAIA, wants to change the way we see. That’s why he started his online journal NativePlaces.org six years ago and more recently created his book, Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See. In this program hosted by AIA Triangle, Frank talks about drawing, writing, and the making of architecture.  “The goal is to inspire architects by offering a sense of hope and possibility in the closely observed world outside our windows,” according to AIA Triangle’s announcement.
Frank will present this illustrated lecture via Zoom from his home and garden in Raleigh, followed by a lively discussion and Q&A session.

Upon completion, participants will

  • Explain how drawing can truly change our perception and memory of space;
  • Identify techniques in which writing can help clarify our design ideas;
  • Identify new ways of communicating effectively with clients and public officials; and
  • Explain the concept that writing and drawing will help us discover and express the intangibles that produce good design.

  • Online program – registration required for CE credit
  • Deadline to register is 10:00 am on April 22, 2021. Click here to register.
  • Zoom meeting link will be emailed to registrants the morning of the program