Architecture is Not Neutral

Join the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University for our first Design x Technology Series event for the Fall 2025/26 semester featuring speakers all the way from Italy!

Architecture is not neutral: it can be part of the problem or part of the solution.The climate challenge won’t be overcome through technical mandates alone, but by making the ecological transition something people desire.

We no longer need “sustainable” architecture – we need architecture that is effective, light, appropriate, that improves people’s lives, and doesn’t need to justify itself.

We can’t change the world out of obligation; we must do it out of desire.

What we need is a new way of designing: not buildings bloated with technology, but spaces that are simple, adaptable, beautiful, and connected to life. Because what truly works doesn’t need to prove anything.

Sustainability isn’t something you preach – it’s something you live, design, and desire.And the future of architecture begins here.

Speakers:

Andrea Rinaldi – Architect, Lecturer of Architectural and Urban Composition at the Department of Architecture of the University of Ferrara.

Maddalena Fortelli — Architect and urban planner with extensive experience in territorial planning, urban design, and city regeneration.

Serena Foracchia — consultant and expert in European project design, international relations, and professional training.

Moderator: Sara Codarin — Assistant Professor, LTU CoAD.

Join us for a reception at 12:00PM, BEFORE the lecture to view the exhibition. Enjoy authentic Italian appetizers and pastries.

This lecture offers participants – students, young architects, and professionals – the opportunity to gain a new perspective on addressing the ecological challenge in architecture not as a technical constraint, but as a field of design possibilities.Through a critical and visionary approach, the lecture will explore tools and strategies capable of guiding design toward lighter, more effective, and contextually appropriate solutions – reducing reliance on technological complexity and encouraging spaces that are more adaptable, inclusive, and connected to real life.

Participants will be able to sharpen their design judgment, saving time in selecting the most suitable solutions, avoiding outdated and standardized approaches, and facing today’s environmental, cultural, and social challenges with greater awareness.The lecture aims to remove cultural and operational barriers that hinder a true ecological transition in architectural design, offering an integrated perspective that combines desire, effectiveness, and responsibility.

An opportunity to reflect – and act – on a new way of inhabiting the future.

CEU: This lecture equals 1 professional architecture credit towards licensure requirements. ​​

Please note that LTU is not a registered AIA CE provider. By virtue of having a NAAB-accredited architecture program, the State of Michigan authorizes LTU to offer continuing education credit. A list of state-approved HSW subjects can be found on their licensing website by searching the page for ‘ HSW subjects for continuing education’.

As part of CoAD’s Design x Technology Lecture Series, this lecture is free and open to the public. Guests may watch online or on campus. Register for the location/viewing details.