Stuckeman School to host architect and graphic designer as lecturers on Oct. 4

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Stuckeman School in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State will welcome two guests as part of its 2023-24 Lecture and Exhibit Series for separate talks on Oct. 4: architect Martin Rauch of Lehm Ton Erde and graphic designer David Heasty of Triboro.

Rauch will present “Rammed Earth in Building Culture” remotely at 4:30 p.m. with viewers encouraged to join the Department of Architecture in the Stuckeman Family Building South Forum for an interactive hybrid lecture experience. Those unable to attend in person are invited to join via Zoom.

Lehm Ton Erde, Rauch’s German design firm, translates as Loam Clay Earth and describes the firm’s philosophy: Loam stands for handcraft and technology, Clay for artistic design, and Earth for the sustainability of earth construction.

Rauch concentrates on the rammed-earth construction technique, which has been used in building construction for thousands of years and refers to ramming a mixture of damp gravel, sand, silt and clay into a formwork. Though his background is as a ceramicist and builder, his advanced knowledge of clay allowed him to experiment with the technique, ushering the practice into the modern era. He innovated the technique with prefabrication — fabricating long walls from which builders could cut individual blocks, transforming the efficiency of rammed-earth construction.

His accomplishments in architecture include the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Chair of Earthen Architecture, the European Union’s New European Bauhaus Prize and the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture. 

Heasty, a 2000 Penn State graphic design alumnus and co-founder of the Brooklyn-based design company Triboro, will present “Seeing Voices” at 6:30 p.m. in the Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space as a guest of the Department of Graphic Design. A recipient of the 2023 College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Award, Heasty said he will “share strategies for crafting impactful brands that resonate with meaning and discuss how to embrace the Intuition Bottleneck and imbue designs with a dash of Zeitgeist.”

Heasty, who is from Texas, began his professional career working for Alexander Gelman at Design Machine in New York. PRINT Magazine named him as one of the top 20 designers under age 30 in 2002 and he has received awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club and the Society of Publication Designers, among others.

Heasty and Stefanie Weigler started Triboro where they “create design solutions for clients in publishing, art, fashion, music, lifestyle and for cultural institutions,” according to the Triboro website. The company’s client list includes brands such as Absolut Vodka, GQ Magazine, Condé Nast, Nike, Vanity Fair and others.

As always, events in the Stuckeman School Lecture and Exhibit Series are free and open to the public.