AIA Baltimore and Baltimore Architecture Foundation present the 2025 Spring Lecture Series, taking place on March 13, March 27 andd April 10 at the MICA Brown Center.
We are happy to continue our partnership with Maryland ASLA to provide 1.0 LA CES HSW for every lecture.
AIA, ASLA and NOMA members may register at a discounted rate.
We are offering school students free admission! Please bring your school ID to show upon arrival.
Doors open at 5:30 PM. Reception with light food and drinks will be also be available immediately following the lecture at the Brass Tap near the MICA Brown Center (1205 W Mt Royal Ave, Baltimore, MD 21217).
ABOUT THIS LECTURE
We are excited to partner with the Sister Cities Organization for this lecture, featuring delegates from Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Thijs van Spaandonk
Verdedig Noord (Defend North) is one of the most diverse and vocal grassroots organizations in Amsterdam, organizing protest, block parties, cultural performances, educational programs, policy guidelines, and public space interventions to combat gentrification in Amsterdam North, a previously neglected working-class neighborhood and industrial area across the water from the historic city center of Amsterdam.
From our experience, one of the key assets for running a grassroots organization is to have the security of access to spaces for activities. From the start of Verdedig Noord in 2019, developing community-owned real estate was at the core of the activities. Since then, we have been learning how to develop, design and run spaces to become part of the neighborhood’s social infrastructure.
In this lecture, Thijs van Spaandonk will share some of the key learnings.
Zico Lopes
The presentation explores the concept of creating spaces for interaction through community-led urban developments, emphasizing the role of the architect as a facilitator. It examines how design can empower local communities, foster social connections, and encourage collective ownership of public spaces.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Thijs van Spaandonk explores and develops alternative futures and cultural narratives for the major challenges our environment is facing.
Thijs was recently appointed as Chief Government Advisor on the Built and Rural Environment in the Netherlands. He advises on spatial programmes and projects involving themes such as mobility, energy transition and urbanization.
Thijs is co-founder of Bright, a research, design, and development cooperative for our surroundings. Bright designs the spatial infrastructure of future energy systems, explores future uncertainties through scenario building, develops a holistic approach for public space, and builds a rooted and circular neighborhood economy.
Thijs is board member of 5711 Cooperative and involved in the development of community-owned real estate in Amsterdam North. These places bring together local entrepreneurship to work on cultural expression and production, and a solidary and circular neighborhood economy. He is working on an educational program for civil servants based on the experiences of community action in Amsterdam North.
As lead designer for City Deal Public Space, Thijs developed The Road to Integralia, a roadmap for an integrated approach for the design, execution, management, and maintenance for sup- and subsurface public space. Thijs was Program Director for the Urban Design Master Program at Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design, 2018-2023. Thijs was Curator for Energy Transition for the 2020 International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam. Thijs was trained as an architect at Eindhoven University of Technology, studied as a visiting student at Hong Kong University, and recently completed the Collaborations Track of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.
Zico Lopes is an architect and urban designer, as well as the founder of Spatial Codes, an architecture studio that focuses on the relationship between humans and their environment. With a deep commitment to creating spaces that reflect the needs and values of their users, his work explores how local knowledge, behaviors, and cultural values can be integrated into architectural and urban design. His studio operates across Europe, West Africa, and Southeast Asia, bringing a diverse, global perspective to each project.
Spatial Codes is known for its human-centered approach, aiming to enhance the experience of space and place. We believe that architecture should not only respond to physical needs but also resonate with the emotional and social dimensions of the people who inhabit those spaces. The studio works on a variety of scales, from large-scale developments and housing projects to temporary exhibitions and interventions in existing structures. Each project is treated as a unique opportunity to engage with the local context and community, ensuring that the design enhances both the environment and the users’ experience.
Spatial Codes has offices in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Santo Antao in Cape Verde.
All items are non-refundable, all sales are final.
All items are non-refundable. For extenuating circumstances, please contact Meghan Hudson at [email protected].
If you are unable to attend the event and would like to give your ticket away to someone else, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance. Email Meghan Hudson at [email protected].
