Werner Sobek: Ecoradicalism—architecture tomorrow

Werner Sobek discusses his body of work for this Franzen lecture event at the Cooper Union.

The 3rd Franzen Lecture on Architecture and the Environment, an annual invited lecture by an international figure whose work has significant implications for understanding and reconceiving the relationship between architecture and the environment, was delivered by Werner Sobek on December 2, 2009 at the Great Hall of Cooper Union in New York City.

While the ILEK specializes in the research of new materials and new concepts for lightweight and adaptive structures, Werner Sobek’s office is one of the world’s leading engineering consultancies with offices in Stuttgart, Cairo, Dubai, Frankfurt, Khartoum, Moscow, and New York. The work of Werner Sobek is defined not only by its engineering and emphasis on sustainable systems but by a rigorous application of design. Founded in 1992, the studio’s emphasis lies on lightweight load-bearing structures, high-rise buildings, transparent facade systems, and special structures in steel, glass, titanium, textiles, and wood.

The annual Franzen Lecture on Architecture and the Environment was created in honor of long-time League trustee Ulrich Franzen. The Franzen Lecture on Archiecture and the Environment is made possible by contributions from the Riggio Foundation, Juliana Curran Terian, and Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown.