The collaborative series “Glass House Presents at New Canaan Library” is pleased to present a discussion on the niche magazine a+u – Architecture & Urbanism – a magazine in Japanese and English that provides information on architecture around the globe to a global readership. A panel of three industry professionals will participate in and moderate the discussion. The event will be held in the Library’s Adrian Lamb Room on Thursday, October 22 at 6:30 p.m., preceded by a light reception at 6 p.m. Please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org.

A recent issue of a +u magazine examined fourteen Mid-Century Modern houses in New Canaan, designed by nine architects between the years 1947-1979. The evening will introduce guest editor and architect Alan Goldberg, and photographer Michael Biondo for a conversation with writer Gwen North Reiss about the New Canaan houses featured in the magazine. Also to be discussed will be the related international competition, “Living in the Future;” and upcoming exhibitions at the Center for Architecture Sarasota and the Yale School of Architecture.

Alan Goldberg began his career in New York working on a number of important buildings for a firm that adhered to Beaux-Arts style principals. He found himself on a team formed by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson to design the Seagram’s Building, considered one of the great icons in 20th-century architecture. The experience heightened Goldberg’s interest in the Bauhaus Movement, and helped shape his thoughts on architecture. In 1966 Goldberg, moved to New Canaan to join Eliot Noyes & Associates, one of the nations most respected design firms. In 1974, he became a partner, and three years later, after Noyes died, the sole principal under the firm’s new name AG/ENA. During his 50 years with the firm Goldberg designed, managed and was involved with design across broad spectrum of the field, including architecture, corporate design consulting, industrial design, interiors, and graphics. He became an integral part of New Canaan’s mid-century modern movement and has raised public awareness about the need to preserve its heritage.

Michael Biondo is an architectural photographer whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, Architizer, Dwell, and other publications. In addition to photographing 14 New Canaan houses for the May 2019 issue of a+u, he has done special photography projects for The Glass House, the National Trust, and numerous publishers and websites. He is co-author and photographer of Mid-century Houses Today (published 2015), which celebrates New Canaan’s Modern houses. A Wilton resident with a lifelong interest in art and design, Biondo grew up in New Canaan and Darien and earned his BFA from the Pratt Institute. He began his career in fashion photography, dividing his time between New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, and returned to Fairfield County in 2006. He currently serves as a Board Member for the Carriage Barn Arts Center.

Gwen North Reiss is a writer and poet whose articles on modern architecture for The New York Times, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, Preservation Magazine, and other publications appeared during the early years of preservation efforts in New Canaan. At The Glass House, she has conducted interviews for the Oral History Project and the Conversations series and is part of the Education team. A Yale College graduate with a degree in Literature, Reiss has published poetry in literary magazines and is the author of a chapter book, “Notes on Metals” as well as “Paper Aperture,” a group of poems published by Pen and Brush in New York. As a consultant specializing in communications and architectural history, she has also worked with Silvermine Arts Center and Grace Farms Foundation.