Eric Höweler | Höweler + Yoon

Please note: J. Meejin Yoon was originally scheduled to speak as part of this event but has had to cancel her visit. Eric Höweler will still present. 

The acronym VIF, or verify in field, is a notational convention on architectural drawings, alerting the builder that conditions in the field may differ from what appears on the drawings and that further verification is necessary. The notation acknowledges the contingencies of constructions and the limits of architectural representation. It also speaks volumes about disciplinary questions about the scope and authority of drawings and the interactions necessary between concept and construction. At Höweler + Yoon, we use the terms "verification" and "field" to illuminate the design processes that we undertake in our work at different scales, from the detail to the urban scale. This lecture will present a range of projects using Verify in Field as a lens to understand the work and how it fits into a broader cultural context. 

Höweler + Yoon is a design-driven architecture practice and creative studio that believes design is an instrument for imagining and implementing change: social, cultural, technological, environmental. Over the past eighteen years, Eric Höweler and Meejin Yoon have built a reputation for work that is formally and technologically innovative, socially engaged, and conceptually rigorous. Höweler + Yoon has sought to expand the scope of design beyond disciplinary boundaries, seeking collaborations with experts in numerous fields, and taking a hands-on approach to design and implementation. This has allowed the firm to do unprecedented work in atypical fields: interactive landscapes, submersible structures, stone vaulting, and media projects.

This lecture is supported by the Wolfe and Janet Jessen Centennial Lectureship in Architecture.