Saigon Talks 01: Daniel Zamarbide (BUREAU)

HCMC is a vibrant city; dynamic, contemporary and exceptionally local. These simultaneous energies harbour a landscape allowing for fluid explorations of complementary disciplines. We also find ourselves in a unique position where the current economic, political and cultural context is allowing ourselves and our contemporaries to shape the future of Vietnamese architecture and urban design.

Saigon Talks – series of lectures is a free space to question the status-quo and push the confines of what architecture and urban design is said to be. Rich and lively conversations follow on from presentations of the speakers having chosen subjects that they passionately want to share. The audience, involved and active, contribute to the exploration of ides in this environment of study. Through these thought provoking and energetic exchanges, we are able to better understand the evolving nature of user-led design.

Daniel Zamarbide is an architect recognized both in Switzerland and internationally for his experience in the design and construction of research-oriented architecture. After 15 years as founder and partner of group8 architects, he now concentrates his transdisciplinary work in various contexts with a strong link to cultural and artistic programs. He is co-director of the ALICE laboratory and Superstudio at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and was a Professor at HEAD between 2008 and 2021. Founder of BUREAU in 2012 (Switzerland – Portugal), his research lies at the intersections of architecture, scenography, design, landscape architecture, and publishing. Invited as a lecturer and juror, Daniel is regularly asked to present the work and research of BUREAU in various Swiss and international institutions such as the ETH Zurich, USI Mendrisio, HEAD Genève, ECA Lausanne, ÉNSA Versailles, Maison de l’Architecture Genève, Singapore UTD, Vitra Design Museum, BDA Galerie Berlin, Venice Architecture Biennale, Lisbon Architecture Triennale and Istanbul Design Biennale. His writings and works are also published in numerous journals and books such as A+U Japan, Gestalten, C3 magazine and BaunetzWoche, BAUMEISTER, and Wallpaper.