The University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning presents...Canjiren > Canjichéngshì = Disabled Body > Disabled City, a talk by Robert Adams.

Adams’ design-focused research on his recent trip to Beijing explores how approaches to disability and China’s rapid urbanization construct a cascading array of potential futures for the complex realities of living disabled in 21st century China. Adams has met with governmental officials at the China Disabled Persons Federation, and several NGOs working on disability issues in Beijing. He is expanding his research in China to focus on issues of civic space and disability issues that reconsider new approaches for architecture. In his talk, Adams will focus on his research with students in China.

Robert Adams is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Michigan, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Faculty Associate at the Lieberthal and Rogel Center for Chinese Studies; and, co-founder and design director at Adams + Gilpin Design Studio. He is a designer who makes things that seek to transform how we engage the physical world, and his work has primarily taken the form of installations and exhibits in which artifacts, constructed apparatuses, and architectural spaces are used to reveal and interrogate the social, political, and experiential aspects of the public realm. His design research focuses on the intersection of architecture, civic infrastructure and disability culture. Adams teaches design studio, construction seminars, and is one of the core faculty teaching in the M.Sc. Design Health program; and, he is a co-founder of B.A.S.E. Beijing Architecture Studio Enterprise. Currently Adams is designing a series of wearable technologies, directing and producing a documentary film on disability culture in Beijing, and designing an exhibition and stage-set for an operetta titled Wet the Ropes.

About University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning:

The Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan is a leader in interdisciplinary education and research with a focus on creating a more beautiful, inclusive and better built environment. The college and its alumni are committed to pushing the boundaries of architectural practice, advancing global engagement, and significantly enhancing diversity in the profession. The college offers the following degrees: Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Master of Architecture (currently ranked #6 nationally; ranked #1 in 2010 by Design Intelligence Report), Master of Science in Architecture, Master of Urban Planning, Master of Urban Design, and PhD programs.