Leaning Into the Mundane (ft. Lütjens Padmanabhan) | Ep. 221

Leaning Into the Mundane (ft. Lütjens Padmanabhan) | Ep. 221

Author: Educated Guess January 24, 2022 Duration: 58:36

Lütjens Padmanabhan Architekten was established by Oliver Lütjens and Thomas Padmanabhan in 2007. The recent work of the practice focuses on housing in the residential districts surrounding the cities of Zürich, Basel and Munich. 

Despite their love for a more refined, urbane architecture, Oliver Lütjens and Thomas Padmanabhan have light-heartedly embraced the fact that most of their commissions are set in the mundane anonymity of suburbia. Their interest in complex architectural expression has distanced the practice from the craft-oriented mainstream of Swiss architecture. 

The current projects explore the impossible task of reconciling the autonomy of the exterior facade with the typological uncertainty of interior spaces and loose urban contexts.
After teaching assignments at ETH Zürich and TU Munich Oliver Lütjens and Thomas Padmanabhan are currently teaching as guest professors at EPF Lausanne.


What began as a public lecture series has evolved into a space for deep, meandering conversation. Educated Guess :: A Liberal Arts School for the Future extends the work of its parent research organization, which has always been preoccupied with how we live alongside our own creations-be they digital machines, pervasive images, or the sprawling cities we call home. This podcast picks up the thread from those original talks, which connected with tens of thousands of people worldwide, and delves further into the textures of design practice, the narratives of art history, and the ongoing project of personal growth. Each episode feels like a curated seminar for the curious, avoiding easy answers in favor of thoughtful exploration. You’ll hear discussions that examine why our built environments shape our behavior, how visual culture informs our understanding, and where the human element persists within increasingly automated systems. It’s a continuation of that foundational idea: a liberal arts education, unbound by campus walls, focused squarely on the forces designing our tomorrow. Tune in for a podcast that treats complexity as a feature, not a bug, and offers a genuinely educated guess at what comes next.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Educated Guess :: A Liberal Arts School for the Future
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