The University Architect / Campus Planning and Design Office is proud to present the annual Spring Lecture Series in Architecture + Landscape + Urban Design, an interdisciplinary program that brings together students, faculty, design professionals, and community members from across the Bay Area. This in-person lecture series offers a unique platform to engage with nationally and internationally renowned architects, landscape architects, and urban designers whose work is shaping the future of the built environment.
Andrew Freear | Rural Studio — April 1, 2026
Each year, the series explores a timely theme that reflects the evolving challenges and opportunities within design practice. The 2026 theme, UNCERTAINTY, examines the dynamic and often unpredictable forces that influence architecture — from economic pressures and emerging technologies to climate realities, political conditions, and the complex ways people inhabit space. Rather than viewing uncertainty as a limitation, this series positions it as a generative design condition — one that invites experimentation, adaptability, and humility. Through featured projects, research, and practice-based insights, speakers will share how they confront and design for the unknown, embracing risk and ambiguity as drivers of resilient, meaningful, and forward-looking work.
James Lord | SurfaceDesign Inc. – April 15, 2026
The Spring Lecture Series is free and open to the public, reinforcing its mission to make design discourse accessible to a broad audience. Attendees will also have the opportunity to earn 1 AIA CEU credit per lecture, with credits administered through AIA Silicon Valley (please sign in at the door to ensure credit submission).
Omar Gandhi | Omar Gandhi Architect — April 29, 2026
Megumi Aihara & Dan Spiegel | SAW Inc. — May 13, 2026
Nader Tehrani | NADAAA — May 18, 2026
2026 Lecture Lineup
All lectures begin at 6:30 PM (PST) and will be held in person on the Stanford University campus.
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Andrew Freear | Rural Studio — April 1, 2026
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James Lord | SurfaceDesign Inc. — April 15, 2026
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Omar Gandhi | Omar Gandhi Architect — April 29, 2026
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Megumi Aihara & Dan Spiegel | SAW Inc. — May 13, 2026
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Nader Tehrani | NADAAA — May 18, 2026
Primary Venue
ChEM-H / Neuro Research Complex
John A. & Cynthia Fry Gunn Rotunda, Level 2, Room E241
290 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305
Additional sessions may be hosted at:
Sapp Center for Science Teaching and Learning (STLC 111)
376 Lomita Drive, Stanford, CA 94305
Join us this spring for an engaging exploration of how designers navigate complexity, anticipate change, and shape the built environment amid uncertainty.
More info HERE