About this Lecture: This lecture by Daniel Vasini of West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture will address the critical role of landscape architecture within the context of large-scale urban master planning and design, the legacy of American campus design and Innovation Districts. Daniel will draw on several projects from the West 8 portfolio, including the iconic Governor’s Island Masterplan in NYC, to discuss this multi-disciplinary approach necessary to tackle the major urban design issues of our time.
Presenter profile: Daniel Vasini, West 8 Creative Director, leads the creative thinking in the conceptualization of projects that advance design research, rigorous aesthetic, philosophical and operational standards of the design process steering the design team with know-how, under the direction of West8 founding partner Adriaan Geuze. Daniel directs and collaborates with top-tier multi-disciplinary teams to gear complex design paradigms and planning challenges, to envision solutions that address the major urban design issues of our time. He is deeply committed to a project-tailored, wide-reaching, iterative process of design, and adept at its implementation. His leadership builds upon an interrogation of contemporary culture and urban identity, and incorporates landscape, public space, and engineering ‘best practices’ to produce forward-thinking, unique and noteworthy design solutions.
Daniel’s specialty is in transformative urban waterfront projects, creating designs that address urbanization challenges, infrastructure needs, sustainability goals, natural conditions, and identity of the place followed by Master plans, urban design guidelines, and large-scale territorial interventions. Daniel’s has developed a design oriented practice, for specific projects and competitions promoting West 8’s design identity, successful enough to generate new business in the Americas, have been integral to the firm’s success.
Mr. Vasini speaks fluent English, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch and has a great facility for better understanding and interpreting among cultures, languages, and styles of doing business. He also lectures and serves as Design Critic in Landscape Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, including previous panelist and jurors at other universities, fellowships program and conferences around world. Daniel was educated in the US under the Fulbright Fellowship, graduating from the Southern California Institute of Architecture SCI-Arc in Downtown LA. He worked for Skidmore Owings & Merrill in Chicago and London headquarter before joining West8 in 2008.