Governor’s Chair-Church Lecture Series: Takacs

Kristopher Takacs, associate director for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, will lecture at the College of Architecture and Design on March 28, beginning at 5:30 p.m.  The lecture will be held in McCarty Auditorium in the Art and Architecture Building, 1715 Volunteer Boulevard.  It is free and open to the public.

Takacs will present, “Leveraging Transportation Investment to Transform Urban Districts.”  The lecture will address city building that leverages public and private investment in transportation infrastructure to connect people in meaningful ways and deliver civic infrastructure with wide-reaching benefit.  Takacs will demonstrate how leaders are using unique and innovative tools to exploit synergy among modes—high-speed, intercity and regional rail, light rail, bus, bicycle and pedestrian networks—to connect transportation hubs to the city, create new open spaces and produce landmark architecture.  Recent and ongoing SOM projects in New York, Colorado, Florida and Pennsylvania reveal the powerful potential for mobility-oriented investment to catalyze development and transform entire urban districts.

Kristopher Takacs is SOM’s practice leader for public transport architecture and transit-oriented development. His distinguished portfolio encompasses nearly 40 projects including metro mass transit, light rail transit, commuter rail, high-speed rail and intermodal hubs situated throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He is recognized for his expertise in balancing functional, spatial and operations requirements to achieve innovative design solutions that optimize passenger flow, create exciting destinations and attract marketplace investment.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is the design firm partner in the college’s unprecedented Governor’s Chair for Energy and Urbanism initiative.  In 2014, Phil Enquist, SOM’s partner in charge of urban design and planning, was named as Governor’s Chair.  Oak Ridge National Laboratory also is a partner in the initiative, which identifies and develops innovative strategies to find balance between energy and urbanism.

Part of the college’s Robert B. Church Lecture Series, the March 28 lecture will be streamed live and offers continuing education credit.