Ada Tolla has a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from the Universita’ di Napoli, Italy, and completed postgraduate studies at Columbia University, New York. Besides heading her professional practice, LOT-EK, she currently teaches at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Architecture. She also lectures at major universities and cultural institutions globally.
Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano have achieved high visibility for their sustainable and innovative approach to construction, materials, and space and through the adaptive reuse (“upcycling”) of existing industrial objects and systems not originally intended for architecture. They are also recognized for the use of technology as an integral part of architecture, for addressing transformability in architecture, and for integrating aspects of art and architecture.
LOT-EK’s work has been published in national and international publications, including the New York Times, the London Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, Wallpaper*, Domus, A+U, Interior Design, Wired, Surface, Metropolis, Graphis, and more.
LOT-EK’s first monograph, Urban Scan, was published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2002. Mixer: Installation and Assembly Manual: LOT-EK Architecture was released by by Edizioni Press in 2000; and LOT-EK: Mobile Dwelling Unit was published by DAP in 2003.
Ada Tolla was recently recognized as a United States Artists (USA) Booth Fellow of Architecture and Design. Nominations are made each year by U.S. arts leaders and practitioners, critics, and scholars, of artists they believe show an extraordinary commitment to their craft.
Announcements
Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design edited by Ian Lynam
Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design
Edited by Ian Lynam
Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Published: March 2019
Total Armageddon is about design. And culture. And complexity, notably how we, as a global civilization, deal with science fiction, taste, social media, the cities we live in, aesthetics, PowerPoint, burkas, Big Tech, full-contact sports, and other thorny topics. The book celebrates 15 years of independent publishing and brings together a who’s who of authors and essays from 32 issues of Slanted Magazine.
A Field Guide to Color by Lisa Solomon
A Field Guide to Color: A Watercolor Workbook
By Lisa Solomon
Publisher: Roost Books
Published: August 2019
In this creative workbook you’ll discover fresh ways to connect with color in your art and life. Using watercolors, gouache, or any other water-based medium, explore color theory while playing with paint through a balanced blend of color experiments and loose color meditations. This inspiring workbook will change the way you relate to color
Five Oceans in a Teaspoon by Dennis Bernstein and Warren Lehrer
Five Oceans in a Teaspoon
Poems by Dennis Bernstein
Visualizations by Warren Lehrer
Introduction by Steven Heller
Publisher: Paper Crown Press
Published: September 19, 2019
“From a kidnap note for a world held hostage by an A-bomb, to a Holocaust survivor’s tattooed arms where the numbers just don’t add up, Five Oceans in a Teaspoon re-envisions a poetry memoir via a textual kaleidoscope... Bernstein and Lehrer are the Rodgers and Hart of Visual Poetry.” — Bob Holman, poet, poetry activist and chronicler, and founder of the Bowery Poetry Club
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City by Paul Goldberger
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City
By Paul Goldberger
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Published: May 2019
An illustrated, entirely new look at the history of baseball: told through the stories of the vibrant and ever-changing ballparks where the game was and is staged, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic.
Charleston Fancy by Witold Rybczynski
Charleston Fancy: Little Houses and Big Dreams in the Holy City
By Witold Rybczynski
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: May 2019
Charleston, South Carolina, which boasts America’s first historic district, is known for its palmetto-lined streets and picturesque houses. The Holy City, named for its profusion of churches, exudes an irresistible charm. Award-winning author and cultural critic Witold Rybczynski unfolds a series of stories about a group of youthful architects, builders, and developers based in Charleston: a self-taught home builder, an Air Force pilot, a fledgling architect, and a bluegrass mandolin player.
Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller
Teaching Graphic Design History
By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019
An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.
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