In this lecture, Alvin Huang, AIA, NOMA, will showcase the work of Synthesis Design + Architecture (SDA) through the theme Form Follows Values, building upon Louis Sullivan's famous principle, Form Follows Function. SDA's architectural approach highlights that design is more than a response to functional needs—it is also a reflection of the values, ideas, and cultural contexts that define our world. The lecture will challenge the relationship between technology and human needs, advocate for the importance of ideas in envisioning alternatives to the status quo, and explore the complex interplay between technology and culture, illustrating how architecture can act as a powerful tool for engaging with and interrogating these intersections. Through a series of design projects framed as inquiries, attendees will discover how technology is employed not merely as a tool but as a catalyst for thought, how innovative design processes give shape to ideas, and how culture both influences and is represented within the built environment. This lecture will provide a deeper insight into how form, technology, ideas, and culture converge in SDA's work to address pressing social, cultural, and environmental issues of today.

Alvin Huang

Alvin Huang, AlA, NOMA is a Los Angeles-based architect with a global profile. He is an award-winning architect, designer, and educator who explores the intersections between technology and culture to produce innovative design work that challenges convention and expresses universal values. He is a vocal advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in design culture. His work spans all scales ranging from hi-rise towers and mixed-use developments to temporary pavilions and bespoke furnishings. He is the founder and principal of Synthesis Design + Architecture and an Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, where he is also the Director of Graduate and Post-professional Architecture. Prior to establishing SDA, he gained significant experience working in the offices of Zaha Hadid Architects, Future Systems, AL_A, and AECOM. He received an M.Arch from the Graduate Design Research Laboratory at the Architectural Association in London and a B.Arch from the USC School of Architecture in Los Angeles.

His design work has been published and exhibited widely and has gained international recognition with over 50 distinctions at local, national, and international levels including being selected as one of 50 global innovators under the age of 50 by lmages Publishing in 2015, being featured as a Next Progressive by Architect Magazine in 2014, and being named one of Time Magazine's 25 Best Inventors of 2013. He hasbeen an invited critic, guest lecturer, and keynote speaker at various institutions in the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile, UK, Germany, ltaly, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, lsrael, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and China.