An assortment of architecture students, faculty and the occasional architect neophytes (specifically, this writer) gathered on Wednesday night for one last lecture before fall break with Michael Manfredi M.Arch ’80 of the architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi. Manfredi, who received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Notre Dame and his master’s at Cornell University, has been acclaimed for the various designs his firm has implemented over the last several years. Highlighting nine of his recent works, Manfredi used these projects to explain the unique approach that the firm takes to conceptualizing the projects.

Repeatedly throughout his lecture, the architect emphasized that understanding the site of construction is an integral part of designing. Through his examples, Manfredi was able to explain the ways that a dichotomy between location and edifice can be achieved or ameliorated.

At the start of his presentation, Manfredi highlighted a project that most Cornell students are familiar with — The Museum of the Earth, located on the other side of Cayuga Lake. The architect highlighted facets of the impressive building that are not initially apparent to the average visitor. For example, because of the natural slope of the land, the construction of the building runs in line with the site’s natural slant, allowing for the structure to be built into the hillside. Integrated into its natural surroundings, the Museum of the Earth is slowly morphing into the land — by catching water at its base, it is slowly being surrounded by a living and growing ecosystem.

While many of Weiss/Manfredi’s projects reach far beyond Ithaca, the architects have also designed buildings for several other universities on the east coast. Two projects featured in the lecture were student centers designed and built by the firm. The Smith College Campus Center draws students from the small town streets of Northampton, Mass. onto the wide and expansive campus (which was originally designed as a botanical garden and arboretum by Frederick Law Olmsted). Respecting Olmsted’s original vision, Manfredi spoke of his desire to fluidly bring students into this beautiful campus from the outside.

Manfredi’s emphasis on relating the new building to the site is also apparent in the firm’s project at Barnard College. Still in construction, the Barnard College Nexus connects the school’s quad with the old campus. Manfredi expressed his desire to tear down the retaining wall that had previously created a barrier between these two sections of campus. Regarding this new student center, Manfredi went into the specifics of his firm’s design of the space inside the building, where he hoped to create a sense of openness and connectivity. The architect also showed the varieties of red glass that the design team was working with to create a sense of continuity between this modern structure and the classic brick buildings that existed on campus.

From the UN International Retreat (at an undisclosed location) to a Taekwondo Park in Muju, Korea, the most impressive and critically acclaimed of Weiss/Manfredi’s work is the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park. Challenged with a difficult urban location, Manfredi’s design of the sculpture park created a green space that weaves through the traffic and trains of downtown Seattle. Integrating the cityscape into their design, the sculpture park is a perfect example of the Weiss/Manfredi design aesthetic: symbiotic and rejuvenating, innovative and impressive.