Clemson University’s School of Architecture has announced its 2024 Spring Lecture Series, “The Third Place,” continuing its theme from Fall 2023.

The spring series will feature five distinguished speakers, two of whom will present at the Clemson Design Center in Charleston.

“The Third Place,” refers to spaces for socialization separate from the usual environments of home and work, and it represents a rapidly changing landscape. Traditionally, third places have included churches, community centers, neighborhood bars and coffee shops. However, recently, there has been an increase in the use of non-traditional systems and alternative spaces serving as third places.

This series will examine how the disruption of social, political and economic structure is reframing our society’s relationships with traditional third places. From theoretical proposals and critical practices to historical analysis, The Third Place series will also discuss the intersection of identity, cultural expression and social interaction and the impact gentrification, displacement and creative production have on our communities.

The final guest lecturer for the Spring semester will be Frank Harmon, FAIA. Harmon, FAIA, has designed sustainable modern buildings across the Southeast for 30 years. He discovered architecture as a child playing in the streams and woods of his native Greensboro, North Carolina. His work engages pressing contemporary issues such as placelessness, sustainability, and restoration of cities and nature. The buildings he designs are specific to their sites and use materials such as hurricane-felled cypress and rock from local quarries to connect them to their landscapes. Airy breezeways, outdoor living spaces, deep overhangs, and wide lawns embody the vernacular legacy of the South while maintaining a distinguished modernism. Frank Harmon is a graduate of the Architectural Association in London and a professor at the North Carolina State University College of Design. He has taught at the Architectural Association and has served as a visiting critic at Harvard, the University of Virginia, and Auburn University’s Rural Studio.

The lecture will also be streamed on Zoom. The link is available at https://www.clemson.edu/caac/academics/architecture/lecture-series.html