Death: A Salon on Ethics of Technology

​There are two movements within every transformation: the ending of something that no longer serves, and the emergence of something not yet fully formed. Across natural systems we see this cycle continuously — decay makes way for growth; compost becomes garden. Death, in this sense, is not merely loss. It is transition.

​— Justin Den Herder, Vice President and Principal, TYLin

​The way we design our built environment is increasingly integrating AI, machine learning, and data-driven workflows. How can the design professions navigate this transformation with discernment and care? Explore what assumptions, systems, and habits may need to end in order to create a more generative, just, and resilient future.

​Join built environment experts in an open debate, exploring questions like:

• ​What practices are no longer serving the public good?

• ​What professional habits are rooted in scarcity, speed, or spectacle rather than care?

• ​What forms of authorship, hierarchy, or labor structure may be reaching their limits?

• ​What should we preserve, and what are we prepared to release?

​EVENT SCHEDULE

• ​6 pm: Doors open

• ​6:30 pm: Intro remarks by Justin Den Herder, TYLin

• ​6:40 pm: PechaKucha-style presentations by Dave Bennik, Building Deconstruction Institute; Joe Brennan, KPF; Carl Damas, Perkins&Will; and Austin Wade Smith, Regen Foundation

• ​7:15–8 pm: Group discussion and debate

​A Zoom/Virtual option is available: Please use the following link to join us from anywhere in the world, or if you are not able to attend in person in Brooklyn.

​https://vanalen-org.zoom.us/j/89754769148

​This event is organized by Justin Den Herder as part of Van Alen Vanguard, a cohort of rising professionals reimagining cities, public space, and designers' roles in civic life. Learn more at vanalen.org/vanguard.