Special Collections and the Center for Gaming Research welcome Eadington Gaming Fellow, Stefan Al.
Stefan Al (M.S. Arch. with Distinction, Delft University of Technology, M. Arch., University College London, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley) is a Dutch architect, urban designer, and Associate Professor of Urban Design at the University of Pennsylvania. In his career to date, Al has worked on renowned architectural projects such as the 2,000-feet high Canton Tower in Guangzhou, the preservation of world heritage in Latin America at the World Heritage Center of UNESCO, and an 11,000-acre new eco-friendly city in India.
Al's research interests include urban form and evolution, urbanization in developing countries, and ecological urban development. His design practice is dedicated to sustainable architecture and urban design, with design work exhibited at the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Architecture Biennale.
His writing has been published in the Handbook of Architectural Theory, the Berkeley Planning Journal, Urban China, and other publications. He has edited the books Factory Towns of South China and Urban Villages of South China (forthcoming), and is currently writing a book on Las Vegas called The Strip."
Why he’s coming:
"I am interested in exploring how various architectural aspects of Las Vegas Strip casino complexes have evolved – including architectural typology, signage, porte-cocheres, atriums and pools – from 1941 until today. To do so I will digitally reconstruct historical casinos based on material from the Special Collections of UNLV, for instance old architectural drawings and photos."
Please Join Us for His Symposium Talk: Thursday, May 15, 3 PM in the Goldfield Room, Lied Library, UNLV Campus: "Casino Architecture Wars: A History of How Las Vegas Developers Compete with Architectural Design."
