Alberti Lecture on Mid Century Modern Design

Spring Semester 2016 for the Alberti Program at Washington University is here, and once again Fox has delivered a lecture, this time on “Mid Century Modern Housing in St. Louis”.  Why the topic?  None other than Fox Architects Alum and Maryville University Professor Jessica Senne joined me for this presentation.  Jessica was recently awarded the prestigious CIDA (Council for Interior Design Accreditation) 2015 Award for Excellence Honorable Mention for her  exhibition of the work of Ralph Fournier.  Mr. Fournier was a Wash U grad and designer of many Mid Century Modern houses in the St. Louis area.  His work has long been recognized by a small group of devotes for it’s timeless, simple elegance: lately there has been a resurgence of interest in the designs of this era. It is easy to understand why. These designs make the most of their surroundings. They “bring the outdoors in”. The best of them have a serene, peaceful quality. They make excellent use of natural light. And they can be budget friendly compared to the value received.

Jessica lives in a Fournier house which we used as an example of Mid Century Modern design. We built our own Mid Century Modern house in Sketchup, and went through the process with the students. Afterwards, led by their professor Gay Lorberbaum and a cadre of Wash U student teachers, the Alberti students went off to construct models of their own Mid Century Modern house.

Alberti takes elementary school students from across the St. Louis area. The program is free but selection is limited to students chosen by their principals and teachers. They learn about design through lectures like mine and hands on work. I can tell you from watching them, they have a great time. If you want to help out the program or offer your services to the Alberti program please contact Washington University, Sam Fox School.