Internationally renowned architect presents unconventional work

Internationally renowned architect and founder of Los Angeles-based Bureau Spectacular, Jimenez Lai, will head the next installment of the Bond University Architecture Lecture Series at the Australian Institute of Architects in Brisbane on Thursday, September 15.

Lai will discuss his unconventional work, along with Bureau Spectacular's unique approach to telling stories through architecture at the free public lecture.

The acclaimed architect founded design studio Bureau Spectacular in 2008 and is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)'s School of Architecture.

His work has been published and exhibited around the world, including White Elephant - a piece functioning as both a free standing mini-building and as maxi-furniture - part of the collection at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, New York.

Lai has received numerous accolades for his work, including the New York Architectural League Prize for Young Architects and the Debut Award at the Lisbon Triennale 2013, and has had articles published by Princeton Architectural Press and archived at the New Museum in New York.  

Since building structures at an architectural scale, Lai has created masterpieces such as the Taiwan Pavilion at the 14th Benic Architectural Biennale exhibition and created a 52 foot tall object for the 2016 Coachella Valley Music Festival.

Bond University Assistant Professor of Architecture, Chris Knapp, said it was a coup to have Lai speak as part of the lecture series, which provided an opportunity for those interested in architecture and design to be inspired by an internationally recognised practitioner.

"Jimenez Lai's Bureau Spectacular represents a group of creative individuals who practice architecture through the study of multiple disciplines embracing crossroads between human conversations," he said.

"He has worked in a desert shelter at American architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin in Arizona, considered the embodiment of an environment harmonising architecture, art, culture and the land and lived in a shipping container on the piers of Rotterdam, in The Netherlands, at the Atelier Van Lieshout enclave, a collective of contemporary art, design and architecture.

"He will no doubt provide an interesting perspective on the modern architectural landscape and, with his individualist approach gaining worldwide attention, will leave an impression on those who attend."   

The Bond University Architecture Lecture Series comprises a series of free events hosted by practitioners and academics,  each helping to investigate the definition and boundaries of architectural practice.

Lai's presentation will be held on Thursday, September 15 at the Australian Institute of Architects in Brisbane.  Parking will be available at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, directly opposite on Merivale Street.

The event is open to the public and free of charge, however registration is essential - click here to register.