The American Institute of Architects California (AIACA)’s flagship biennial gathering, the Monterey Design Conference (MDC), kicks off later this month in the oceanside enclave of Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula for three days (October 25–27) of talks, tours, sunrise yoga sessions, and networking opportunities around a crackling bonfire.
First held in 1979 as an annual event at decidedly more conventional facilities in downtown Monterey, MDC has been hosted by the AIACA at the National Historic Landmark–designated Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove since the mid-1980s. Originally built for the YWCA, this scenic “refuge by the sea”—today located on 107 acres of coastal state park land—is home to nearly a dozen surviving Arts & Crafts–style buildings designed by Julia Morgan between 1913 and 1929 (including the campus-anchoring Merrill Hall) as well as 50s-era additions by John Carl Warnecke. It’s a singular, stunningly sited backdrop for a conference, for sure, and one that attracts up to 1,000 attendees to what has been described as adult summer camp for architecture professionals. As former RECORD editor in chief (and longtime MDC master of ceremonies) Bob Ivy put it: “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.”
The MDC 24 agenda is a packed one and features an exciting slate of headlining speakers. As always, these headliners comprise a mix of noted California architects and leading practitioners hailing from farther afield. This year’s Californian headliners include Frederick Fisher, founder of Los Angeles–established Frederick Fisher and Partners; Chuck Davis, founding partner of San Francisco’s EHDD; and Refik Anadol of L.A.-based Refik Anadol Studio. Joining them are Brad Cloepfil and Chelsea Grassinger of New York City and Portland, Oregon–based Allied Works; two former RECORD Design Vanguards, Tokyo’s Go Hasegawa and Mexico City’s Tatiana Bilbao; Melbourne’s Kerstin Thompson; and Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano of Madrid and Berlin–based Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, whose first U.S. commission, a reimagining of the Dallas Museum of Art, was announced last year. Past MDC headliners—and there have been many—include Antoine Predock, Michael Graves, Ray Kappe, Deborah Berke, Toshiko Mori, Thomas Phifer, Kengo Kuma, Sou Fujimoto, and Jeanne Gang, along with Pritzker Prize laureates Shigeru Ban, Rem Koolhaas, Thom Mayne, Fumihiko Maki, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, and Yvonne Farrell of Grafton Architects.
Joining the headlining speeches are a quartet of Emerging Talent talks from the leaders of young California firms: Nick Hopson of South Pasadena–based Hopson Rostrom Design; Valery Augustin of L.A’s DNA Architecture + Design; Aaron Forrest and Yasmin Vobis of Berkeley-based studio Ultramoderne; and Gary and Julia Lewis of Sacramento-based ReGroup, whose LightBAR was featured in the May 2024 issue of RECORD. Leading a day two panel on housing entitled “Enabling Abundance” are Dana Cuff, founder of cityLAB at UCLA; Kevin Daly, founder of Kevin Daly Architects; Cory Henry, founder of Atelier Cory Henry; and Phoebe Yee, executive vice president of design at Related California. Reed Kroloff, dean of the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Frances Anderton, an L.A.-based writer, broadcaster, and producer covering design and architecture, will serve as emcees throughout the event.
Scenes from the 2022 Monterey Design Conference. Photos courtesy AIA California, Flickr
In addition to the featured speakers and panelists, other highlights include tours of the Asilomar grounds and nearby sites such as the famed Monterey Bay Aquarium; the presentation of the AIACA’s 2024 Maybeck Award to Paulett Taggart; a screening of We Start with the Things We Find, a documentary on the work of LOT-EK; fireside social gatherings, some involving smores; and a range of CEU sessions relevant to California architects. (Attendees can earn up to 22 AIA CE credits throughout the event). On October 26, RECORD and Vitro Glass will host an evening wine and dessert reception.
More on MDC 24, including the full agenda and in-person and virtual registration information, can be found here. Lodging for the event at Asilomar is currently full but there are other options in the area.
Architectural Record is media sponsor of the 2024 Monterey Design Conference.
