2021 MDC: On the Road Recap

MDC|

Another Monterey Design Conference (MDC) has come and gone, and usually with it, there is a bevy of photos from the event to present in slideshow fashion to remind attendees what an incredible time was had, and to entice those who only thought about attending to mark the calendar for the next (which will be October 28 – 30, 2022).

MDC On the Road, held virtually in the hopes of giving the viewers insight into the keynote speakers as they shared videos about their spaces, their processes, and participated in a small interview, often in their time zone, live with Kroloff. And while hundreds tuned in to watch, there seemed to be a rather positive phenomenon to occur. More than one attendee described the virtual experience—either in breakout chats, on social media platforms, or in talking with staff–one word was used over and over: optimism.

From gregarious and intellectually challenging emcee, Reed Kroloff, to headliners such as Howeler + Yoon, Aidlin Darling, Emmanuelle Moureaux, Eduardo Souto De Moura, Amanda Levete, Leddy Maytum Stacy, there was an abundance of knowledge, insight, inspiriation, and the simplicity of pure joy the built world communicates.

One attendee described the packed two-day event as a celebration—“the way these architects found pure joy in the actual doing of the work and the research” was something he hadn’t expected.

Next year, as mentioned above, MDC will head back to Asilomar, to be among the Julia Morgan, FAIA buildings and the fresh sea air. But in the meantime, the 600 attendees of this one have smiles on their faces and a new outlook on why they are even in the architecture profession.

All sessions will be available to attendees for the next 60 days.

It’s quite a feat—to provide to simultaneously provide joy and inspiration through a one-dimensional platform of a computer monitor. And yet, many can confirm that is exactly what happened.

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MDC University

Continuing Education, MDC|

In addition to Monterey Design Conference’s phenomenal line-up of headliners, AIA California is excited to bring you additional continuing education opportunities brought to you by our valued Partners.

Register for each session below.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

9:00am-10:00am PT

Accelerating the Path to Zero with Prefabrication 

Session presented by Clark Pacific

12:00pm-1:00pm PT

A New Generation of Tilt-Up Buildings 

Session presented by NRMCA, Build with Strength, CNCA, & CalCIMA

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

12:00pm-1:30pm PT

California Material Selection: Embodied Carbon + WLCA | AIA CA Climate Action Webinar Series

AIA CA Climate Action Webinar

3:00pm-4:00pm PT

Don’t Leave Money on the Table – The Mechanics of Cashless Payments and How to Increase Your Collections

Session presented by ClientPay

Thursday, October 14, 2021

9:00am-10:00am PT

Enhancing Resiliency – The Role of Reinforced Hollow Clay Masonry

Session presented by Pacific Coast Companies & Interstate Brick

12:00pm-1:00pm PT

Designing for Prefabrication

Session presented by Plant Prefab

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MDC – Save the Date!

MDC|

Monterey Design Conference

A global virtual conference for 2021

October 21 – 22

6 headliners

2 emerging architects

1.5 days

MDC On the Road comes to you virtually this year!

Here is a sneak peak of three of the amazing architects you will hear from!

MDC On the Road  will take an intimate look into the personal spaces that are significant to the faculty, and present using a creative and personal approach.

MDC On the Road will give you a glimpse into the places that inspire them, with the people in the studio that enable them, to create projects that sustain them. We promise – this will not be the typical virtual meeting. Instead, it will allow you to connect to the important elements of MDC, to reset your thinking and inspire your design spirit. We are also imagining ways small groups can gather for viewing parties, how you can interact with other attendees, exhibitors, and speakers, and how we can make MDC accessible for many who have not been able to attend in person.

Registration is Open!

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MDC On the Road – Save the Date

MDC|

The Monterey Design Conference (MDC) has long been revered as a gathering of the country’s—and the world’s—leading architects and design thinkers. This intellectually vibrant and inspirational event will be held virtually October 21-22, 2021. While we are all hungry to gather and connect, we recognize many are still uncertain about gathering in large numbers.

From the start, this shift to a virtual event was seen as a design challenge, acknowledging the constraints and identifying the most important elements of MDC – the 40-year legacy of curating a faculty that engages and inspires, a program that refreshes and recharges the spirit, and a commitment to create opportunities for connection (with speakers and each other) – and reimagine the conference in a unique way.

MDC On the Road  will take an intimate look into the personal spaces that are significant to the faculty, and present using a creative and personal approach. MDC On the Road will give you a glimpse into the places that inspire them, with the people in the studio that enable them, to create projects that sustain them. We promise – this will not be the typical virtual meeting. Instead, it will allow you to connect to the important elements of MDC, to reset your thinking and inspire your design spirit. We are also imagining ways small groups can gather for viewing parties, how you can interact with other attendees, exhibitors, and speakers, and how we can make MDC accessible for many who have not been able to attend in person.

And while we all miss the wonderful Julia Morgan designed meeting rooms and foggy sea air of Asilomar, rest assured, we will return next year with an in-person program, October 28, 29 & 30, 2022 – MDC two years in a row!

Planning is well underway – speakers have made commitments – and registration will open in June. So, block this out on your calendar now – MDC On the Road – October 21-22, 2021

Visit www.montereydesignconference.org for more information.

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Monterey Design Conference 2019

AIACA, MDC|

Thank you all for a wonderful experience once again! From the keynotes to the committe; from the sponsors to the attendees, all made it a memorable experience. Click here to check out this year’s photo album and stay tuned for MDC 2021 date announcements!

 

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Somewhere Out There: 25th Anniversary of the Monterey Design Conference

From the President's Desk, MDC|

Merrill Hall at the Asilomar Conference Grounds designed by Julia Morgan, 1928.

Since the 1980s, every other year brings the world’s leading architects and designers to the Monterey Design Conference (MDC), at the idyllic Asilomar Conference Grounds – designed by pioneering female architect and 2014 AIA Gold Medal recipient, Julia Morgan (1872-1957) – in Pacific Grove, CA.  MDC was officially founded in 1978 by the late George Bissell, FAIA (known as the “father of MDC,” he is also a founding father of AIA Orange County, too, by the way) at the AIA California Council Annual Meeting in Orange County.  This year will mark MDC’s 25th Anniversary.

The conference is “designed by designers for designers” and features a mix of presentations from national and international design “Headliners,” educational seminars (including much sought-after ADA CES units), insights from “Tribal Elders,” and glimpses into the future of the profession from California-based “Emerging Talents.”

Meals are shared in the main dining hall, most of the attendees stay in the Asilomar lodge, and receptions/gatherings/discussions extend deep into the night at the “refuge by the sea.”  I’ve heard it described as “architecture camp” and “the greatest design conference in existence.”

AIA Executive Vice President, Robert Ivy, FAIA, describes MDC this way, “Asilomar’s unique location—adjacent to the Pacific in a grove of trees, where wood smoke mingles with the salt spray—invites casual conversation, relaxation, and stimulation in a natural setting that encourages friendship and expansive thought.”

To learn more, Tim Culvahouse, FAIA, wrote a great Brief History of the Monterey Design Conference with contributions from Shelly Kappe, Hon. AIA; Paul Welch, Hon. AIA; David Meckel, FAIA; and Robert Ivy, FAIA.

MDC

Time and space is running out quickly so register now to join us October 25-27, 2019!  Please join us!

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Alice Kimm, FAIA presents in TEDx Talk

MDC, Relevance|

This year’s Monterey Design Conference chair, and award-winning architect, presented a TedX Talk this fall, and it is now available for all to be inspired. Her talk is steeped in architecture and the function of architecture, but is universal to all. Thank you, Alice Kimm, for your powerful and candid insights.

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