John Bezold

This compact volume collects an array of intimate thoughts from 18 of the world’s most acclaimed architects, graphic designers, engineers, philanthropists, and photographers; all of whom were interviewed by students and faculty, before they lectured, at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture–during the period of 2012-207. Distinguished figures as Kazuyo Sejima, Phyllis Lambert, Erwin Olaf, Ben van Berkel, Peter Eisenman, David Adjaye, Bernard Khoury, and Rafael Viñoly–freely express their ideas in a series of dialogues delving into essential issues that drive their thoughts, work, and design processes. The book deals with problems that occurred in urban planning and architecture during the late-2010s; such as increasing globalism, the prevalence of computer-assisted design and its effects on the inhabitants of buildings, and the ways urban environments were, at that time, beginning to become further segregated along with socio-economic divisions. Due to the nature of those interviewed hailing from throughout the world, the book’s contents took a truly international stance toward the topics at hand. The many interviews with the participants in the book elaborate on the lectures they gave at the College of Architecture throughout the same period named in the book’s title: the ‘Dean’s Dialogue’ lecture series.