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