Kick-off of the Emilio Ambasz Annual Lecture "Architecture as Poetry" at Columbia University in New York

Columbia University in New York is hosting the Emilio Ambasz Annual Lecture "Architecture as Poetry", a yearly lecture series dedicated to exploring architecture as a form of poetry, named after architect and industrial designer Emilio Ambasz.

The first event in the series will take place on April 7, 2025, at the Asia Society auditorium in New York, featuring a lecture by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

Born in Argentina in 1943, Emilio Ambasz is recognized as the "father of green architecture" for his distinctive style that integrates nature into his architectural designs. «If a work of architecture doesn’t touch the heart, it’s just another building», says Ambasz, reflecting his poetic and emotional approach to architecture.

The pursuit of poetic expression in architecture will be at the heart of the initiative organized by the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University. With its team of faculty experts in architectural history—such as Rudolph Wittkower, who served as department chair for over fourteen years, along with renowned scholars Howard Hibbard and Robert Branner—the department is particularly well-suited to explore Ambasz’s profound legacy.