A Harvard Graduate School of Design professor will speak tonight about the crafting of places in the world, after spending Tuesday in a student workshop.

Nader Tehrani practices crafting, which involves architects in the entire design and building process. They design buildings and also implement materials in construction, said Hans Butzer, assistant architecture professor.

Tehrani is the second Bruce Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for the 2002-03 school year. Goff, known as the heir to architect Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy, made several contributions to Norman's residential landscape, including the Ledbetter house at the northwest corner of Chautauqua Avenue and Brooks Street, Butzer said.

"A lot of our profession could benefit from rediscovering his work," Butzer said.

Butzer said he hopes people will attend the lecture to see the importance architecture design has on the everyday lives of everyday people. Tehrani's public lecture will begin at 5 p.m. in 200 Dale Hall.

Tehrani was selected chairman because he addresses the issue of crafting in his work. Tehrani takes locally inspired materials and applies them in new places, where people are not used to seeing them, Butzer said.

"(Tehrani) represents a growing number of architects who make the pieces that will be built," Butzer said.

In addition to tonight's lecture, Tehrani led the Bruce Goff Distinguished Student's Workshop on Tuesday, which is new this year. Ten students, demonstrating strong leadership, were chosen by faculty and spent all day learning from Tehrani. In return, those students will share their new knowledge with their regular studio class.

"This will broaden the realm of possibilities of students and their work," Butzer said.

Ben Harvey, architecture senior, was selected by Butzer to be in the student workshop. He said he anticipated learning different approaches and philosophies of architecture from Tehrani. Since the workshop consisted of three graduate students, Harvey said he enjoyed working with them, benefiting from their more experienced and knowledgeable approach.

The Bruce Goff Chair was established at OU in memory of renowned architect and former chairman of the architecture school, Bruce Goff, Butzer said. The chair began in the fall of 1990, said James Kudrna, architecture academic director.
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