January 13, 2011 — Eva Franch will give the Michael Owen Jones Memorial Lecture at the University of Virginia School of Architecture on Jan. 31 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Campbell Hall, room 153. Her lecture, "How to become a UTOPIANIZER," will explore methods and strategies architects might develop to reconstitute the architectural practice and its relation to the society in which we live.

Franch is a Catalan architect, researcher, teacher and founder of the Barcelona-based OOAA, or office of architectural affairs. She is the current director of Storefront for Art and Architecture, a nonprofit organization in New York that hosts exhibitions, artists' talks, film screenings, conferences and publications intended to generate dialogue and collaboration in contemporary architecture, art and design.
 
Franch's research draws on the exploration of cultural, political, social and technological considerations in addressing the design of gathering spaces and public action. Her most recent work, "Ecologies of Excess," proposes a shift within contemporary architectural discourses and practices from sustainability and measure toward madness and invention. Her work has been exhibited at the Center for Architecture in New York, Korean Institute of Architects in Daegu, and FAD Barcelona, among others.

The Michael Owen Jones Lectureship is an opportunity for young design professionals to bring their enthusiasm and talent to the School of Architecture with a lecture. The family of the late Michael Owen Jones, who graduated from the School of Architecture in 1985, funds the lectureship.