March 10, 2016

Understanding Place: Seven Years of Researching in Dhaka, Bangladesh

 
A mind map animation was featured in the exhibit. Mind maps reveal where actions will have reactions, suggesting a network of possible points of intervention.

Associate Professor Naomi Frangos from the New York Institute of Technology's School of Architecture and Design recently invited Partner Stephen Kieran to speak about KieranTimberlake's ethic of improvement and the ways in which it leads to invention and innovation. Kieran discussed the tactics used to give rise to empathetic planning and design, citing examples from the firm's practice as well as from his work with fellow partner James Timberlake on the Dhaka Design-Research Laboratory
 
The Dhaka Design-Research Laboratory is a cross-disciplinary design studio held at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Design. Through intensive research and annual visits, the studio seeks new ways to stimulate relevant design interventions, and to model a research-based approach for urban planning in both the developing and the developed worlds.

 
iPhone clips from Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2014 reveal the layers, sounds, and textures of life in the densest megacity on earth.

In addition to Kieran's lecture, a companion exhibit co-curated by Kirean and Frangos entitled Understanding Place: Seven Years of Researching Dhaka, Bangladesh is on display in the Center Gallery at NYIT Old Westbury. Open to the public from March 1 – April 6, 2016, the exhibit features photographs, videos, animations, and design proposals from the Dhaka Design-Research Laboratory.

On display at NYIT's Center Gallery, Understanding Place: Seven Years of Researching Dhaka, Bangladesh highlights Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake's work with the Dhaka Design-Research Laboratory.
© Adam Elstein Photography

The complete work of the Dhaka Design-Research studio is documented in a book, Alluvium: Dhaka, Bangladesh in the Crossroads of Water, published in 2015 by ORO Editions.