Lecture | UT Center Forum

On Friday, January 22, UTSoA’s Center for American Architecture and Design will host Juan Miró, presenting his new book, Miró Rivera Architects: Building a New Arcadia. Designed by the architects and published by University of Texas Press, the book explores Austin as a modern-day “arcadia”—an evocative place of beauty and harmony with nature—and provides a window into why people want to live in Austin and how they live. Find out how to attend here.

For two decades, Miró Rivera Architects has produced an innovative, refined, and imaginative body of work that blurs the line between art and architecture. The studio was part of a new wave of architects that moved away from Texas vernacular and introduced a modern, refined, and site-specific sensibility that has continued to evolve and expand. Building a New Arcadia is a love letter to Austin that explores the architects’ contributions to the mosaic of the city. Beyond live music, Austin is now recognized as a creative hub where architects, filmmakers, and artists push boundaries. Together they have engendered a unique sense of place—an Austin “state of mind”—that defies stereotypes about Texas.

This discussion will introduce the book and its themes, including: the importance of architecture in connecting people to the landscape; Austin as a model for both low- and high-density cities; how people from different backgrounds live together in Austin; and how our public and private spaces shape Austin’s unique ethos. Included in the event will be a preview of the book itself, which includes dozens of new drawings and images commissioned from photographers including Iwan Baan and Sebastian Schutyser.