In this next episode of ON CITIES, host Carie Penabad
speaks with architect and educator, Mark Pasnik on his co-authored
book: HEROIC: Concrete Architecture and the New Boston. The
conversation explores the post war architectural movement (commonly
referred to as Brutalism) and the groundbreaking concrete structures that
re-imagined the City of Boston during the 1960s and 1970s. Beyond a
mere architectural trend, this period reflects an urban transformation
driven by public investment, resulting in a diverse array of civic, cultural
and academic landmarks that epitomize concrete modernism. The
discussion unveils some of the era's most iconic structures, like the
Boston City Hall and Harvard's Carpenter Center, while tackling the
period's troubled urban histories and the challenges of preserving these
landmarks in the face of contemporary pressures for development and
renovation.

:Mark Pasnik is a professor of architecture at Wentworth Institute of
Technology and a founding principal of the architecture and design firm
OverUnder. He co-authored Heroic: Concrete Architecture and the New
Boston with Michael Kubo and Chris Grimley and edited the books Henry
N. Cobb: Words and Works 1948–2018 and Justice Is Beauty: MASS
Design Group. Mark has received the AIA Young Architects Award and
recognition for his scholarship from the Graham Foundation, Docomomo
US, the Boston Preservation Alliance, Historic New England, and the
Boston Society of Architects. He has taught previously at the California
College of the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University,
Northeastern University, and the Rhode Island School of Design. In
addition to his scholarly work, Mark maintains an active professional
practice with projects including a conservation management plan for
Boston City Hall and adaptive re-use of athletic facilities at the University
of Massachusetts. 
Mark serves as chair of the Boston Art Commission and was selected in
2020 as an Out100 honoree, a designation which recognizes
"culture-shifting impact" by members of the LGBTQ+ community.