Alumni gather for first panel discussion of Role Play
The Center hosted the very first event of Role Play organized by Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni in China.
Today's practices in the fields of architecture and urbanism are no longer restrained to their traditional roles, instead pursuing a range of paths that explore alternative projects and roles. These professionals translate and apply architectural knowledge to other fields, industries, and discourses. This type of role play, in turn, has enriched more complex discussions on architecture, urbanism, and beyond. As a laboratory of architectural experiments, China helps to catalyze such processes, in which Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni play a central role.
On December 15, Columbia Global Centers | Beijing hosted the very first event of Role Play organized by GSAPP alumni in China. Steffen Boddeker, Associate Dean of Admissions and Outreach at GSAPP, was invited to deliver opening remarks and also to connect with GSAPP alumni and prospective students.
Role Play focuses on the professional lives of GSAPP alumni in China through a series of conversations. This program allows participants to present their professional paths and experiences, while a concluding round-table discussion further examines how the role of the architect evolves and transforms through time and practice, and how architectural knowledge is being translated into other fields and industries in China.
Alumni panelists of the first event included Regina Jiang '13 AAD, Jiayuan Liu '13 AAD, Tiantian Ren '14 AUD, Yuan Ren '11 HP, Zhe Wen '15 AAD, Ziyu Zhuang '07 AUD, and Steven Chou '13 MArch. Sirui Zhang '14 CCCP served as the moderator.
Sixty-five people attended the event, including 45 Columbia alumni and 10 prospective students of GSAPP.
