Resiliency in uncertain times is a major theme for Dwell on Design Los Angeles this year.
The event, to be held May 29-31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will take a hard look at how to rebuild in the wake of natural disaster -- and at strategies for dealing with reduced water usage.
Dwell on Design, Los Angeles, 2014
"Drought and water are at the top of everyone's mind," says Erika Heet, Dwell's Los Angeles editor and editorial director for Dwell on Design. "We'll have discussions on everything from drought resistance in the home and landscape to how to comply with the governor's 25 percent water reduction order."
This year's event is the tenth for Dwell on Design, which started in San Francisco in 2006. It aligns with Dwell's core mission of good design, everywhere, anywhere, anytime and in any form. It offers consumers and the trade an opportunity to speak with industry experts on issues affecting Los Angeles and California -- and beyond.
Dwell on Design, Los Angeles, 2014
"We've invited an expert from the mayor's office to discuss strategies for reducing water usage in homes, landscapes and civic usage," she says. "It's the new normal."
On the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and with memories of Super Storm Sandy still fresh in people's minds, architects and designers are turning their attention to building smarter for the longer term, with a goal of protecting the lives of all the people through design.
Dwell on Design, Los Angeles, 2014
A near-stellar list of speakers includes Adrian Benepe, senior vice president of the New York-based Trust for Public Land and Randy Fiser, chief executive officer of the American Society of Interior Designers.
Top Los Angeles-based schools -- USC, UCLA, Sci-Arc, Otis, Art Center College of Design and Woodbury -- will be participating in a charrette on future proofing. "It's about how to employ the latest technology for long-term, human-centric design approaches," she says.
Seventy percent of the attendees -- 31,000 were there last year, from six continents -- are from the trade, but plenty of consumers, eagerly engaged in renovation or building, are there too. "They come away with a sense of hope for the future on a global and local scale," she says.
And then there's the fantastic home tour, too.
J. Michael Welton writes about architecture, art and design for national and international publications, and publishes a digital design magazine at www.architectsandartisans,com, where portions of this post first appeared. He's also the author of "Drawing from Practice: Architects and the Meaning of Freehand," published by Routledge Press earlier this month.