Germane Barnes on architecture, race, urban design and Venice Biennale

On Design with Justyna Green

Germane Barnes is an architect, researcher, and educator based in Miami, Florida. He is known for his work exploring the intersection of race, architecture, and urban design and has been recognized with numerous awards and fellowships.

In our conversation, we discuss Germane’s philosophy and belief that architecture is not devoid of biases, and the way in which buildings are designed can perpetuate racist ideologies.

Germane also opens up about his early years in architecture and a decision to forge his own path with a community project in Opa-locka, Florida. He also discusses his research practice, with a recent focus on classic architecture. His findings were presented at the recent Venice Biennale - he hopes to start a conversation about African identity and North African contributions to classical architecture. It's a rich conversation, from which I've learned a lot.

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Podcast music and production: James Greenfield