Anticipating change means understanding your clients

May 1, 2017

On the final day of AIA Conference on Architecture 2017, a panel of innovators and a famed behavioral scientist took the stage in Orlando with a theme of "Anticipate Change," addressing what's next for architecture and design's evolution.

The panel, led by Frances Anderton, host of DnA: Design and Architecture, featured Michael Ford, Assoc. AIA; Cheryl McAfee, FAIA; and Nóra Demeter, Intl. Assoc. AIA, all speaking to the opportunities at architecture's frontier. "The theme today should be called 'affect change,' because each of these designers is really trying, and achieving, to steer the profession in new directions in terms of access and architectural expression itself," Anderton said.

AIA 2017 Keynote: Anticipate Change: What's Next in Architecture

February 15, 2017

At the 2017 AIA Conference on Architecture, participants will view a one-of-a-kind panel, you’ll hear three speakers who will discuss how to anticipate and acclimate to what’s next for the architecture profession.

Hip Hop As Modernism's Post Occupancy Report:Part 2

June 28, 2015

Hip Hop has established itself as a gravitas culture that crosses borders of race, ethnicity, class, religion and professions. Members of the hip hop generation carry the residue of the culture into all spaces they inhabit and their individual works are seasoned with its’ flavor. As professionals continue to argue the academic validity of hip hop and disseminate the social significance of rap, it is time architectural professionals learn the benefit the culture provides to its’ practitioners.

Hip Hop Inspired Architecture lecture by Michael Ford and Eryk "The Arch-E-Tech" Christian at Madison College, in Madison, Wisconsin on April 29, 2015 at 12:30pm.

Hip Hop Architecture at Madison College

April 21, 2015

On April 29, 2015 my DJ, Eryk "The Arch-E-Tech" Christian and I will deliver a lecture on Hip Hop Inspired Architecture at Madison College located in Madison Wisconsin. This lecture is a continuation of my current lecture tour, which has included an exhibit at the 2014 AIA Convention in Chicago Illinois, lectures at University of Detroit Mercy, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Syracuse University and Harvard Graduate School of Design.

AIA Brooklyn + Hip Hop Architecture

November 23, 2014

Thanks to AIA Brooklyn (American Institute of Architects - Brooklyn Chapter) for publishing images of the Hip Hop Inspired Architecture exhibit at the 2014 National AIA Convention in Chicago, Illinois in their recent newsletter. Click the button below to access the pdf version of the publication which focuses on distributing information fromt the 2014 AIA Repositioning Report from AIA National.

AIA Brooklyn Newletter

Hip Hop Inpsired Architecture Exhibit - Bar 2 of 16 - The Fifth Element of Hip Hop

July 10, 2014

“Hip hoppers state that critics lack a genre exposure, their deficit of language - their lack of knowledge of history and terminology - further marginalizes innovative new work [within hip hop]. They may like what they see without knowing breaking from b-boying; popping from locking...This type of technical knowledge is as important as historical, cultural and self-knowledge. At the end of the day, it is this fifth element, glaringly absent from the marketplace which may provide the space where art can flourish.”

— Jeff Chang

Hip Hop Inspired Architecure Exhibit: MJ3! - Bar 1 of 16

July 9, 2014

My "Hip Hop Inspired Architecture" exhibit at the 2014 AIA Convention in Chicago, Illinois was dedicated to the memory of my son, Michael Ford III, affectionately known as MJ3. The pain of losing my son has fueled my passion for reading and connecting dots which few individuals before me have ventured to connect. The dark hours spent mourning MJ3's death, created a craving for tranquility that only a book can provide. Since my son's passing, my research has gotten deeper and some even describe it as dark at times, as I reveal little known truths about the history of architecture, art and black culture all of which provide a basis for why society needs and subconsciously yearns for a hip hop inspired architecture

Michael Ford - Photo by Bradlee Bertram of BMB Graphics

Hip Hop Inspired Architecture Exhibit - 16 Bars in 16 Days

July 8, 2014

On June 24 at the 2014 AIA National Convention, I had the privileged of exhibiting my research endeavors which are centered about the creation of an architecture inspired by hip hop culture. The research, which can be discovered by exploring the previous post on my blog, positions prominent architectural practitioners and historical figures such as Le Corbusier and former first Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at the helm of creating the architectural environments which prompted the birth of hip hop culture. The research then transitions to tell the story of the individuals born into hip hop culture and raised in those environments who are now architectural practitioners and creating a new style of socially conscious, technologically innovative architecture.

Quote of the Day - Picasso

July 2, 2014

"Good artist copy, great artist steal."

Pablo Picasso's famous quote is the epitome of his "innovative" career. During my "Hip Hop Inspired Architecture" Exhibit at the 2014 American Institute of Architects National Convention in Chicago, I revealed some of Picasso's greatest acts of thievery. The most notorious of them all is his personally unacknowledged "Black Period", a time in which Picasso was deeply entrenched in African Art, resulting in his supposed creation of Cubism as we know it today.

Hip Hop Architecture - Call For Submissions - DEADLINE EXTENSION

April 27, 2014

Did you complete a graduate thesis investigation related to the merger of architecture and hip hop culture? Did you complete an undergraduate studio project related to the topic or even a lecture or developed a published article related to the topic? If so, this call is for you. This call is for architectural professionals, students and artists to submit previously completed works for review and inclusion in my upcoming exhibit. The exhibit is titled, “A Cultural Innovation: Hip Hop Inspired Architecture and Arts” and is scheduled for Thursday, June 26, 2014 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. The exhibit will highlight my research on this topic and will include the works of iconic entertainers, hip hop artists, academic institutions, students and architects from around the globe.

2014 AIA Convention Exhibit - Hip Hop Inspired Architecture and Design

April 23, 2014

Great news! On June 26, 2014 at the 2014 American Institute of Architects National Convention in Chicago Illinois, a Hip Hop Inspired Architecture exhibit will be on display and its being designed by yours truly! After years and years of research, presentations and lectures at various universities and multiple publications, I am now going to show my aspirations on a grand scale. The 2014 AIA Convention in Chicago may very well attract over 15,000 attendees, including architectural professionals, practitioners, educators, students and allied professionals from around the nation. Please help me make this exhibit possible by clicking on the donate button below. I will be grateful for any amount and will display your name or company name as a sponsor.