How Architecture Can Solve Big Social Problems with Jeanne Gang
4/30/20261 hr
Jeanne Gang is a renowned architect and the founder of Studio Gang, an international architecture and urban design firm. She joins Kara to discuss her work and the design philosophy behind some of her most recognizable buildings, including the Aqua Tower in Chicago and the Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Jeanne explains her concept of “actionable idealism" and why she believes architecture has the power to connect people to each other and the environment. Jeanne and Kara also discuss sustainable building in an era of worsening climate change and why good public design starts with talking with locals to find out what they need. Plus: Jeanne shares her thoughts on arches and President Trump’s White House renovations. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKara Swisher· Host0:00
How would you describe your sensibility? 'Cause it's not- Um ... whimsical. There's a lot of architects- No ... who are whimsical.
Jeanne Gang· Guest0:05
Not whimsical.
Kara Swisher· Host0:06
No.
Jeanne Gang· Guest0:07
I don't even like that word at all.
Kara Swisher· Host0:08
I don't either.
Jeanne Gang· Guest0:09
[laughs] Good.
Speaker 20:10
[upbeat music] It's on.
Kara Swisher· Host0:12
Hi, everyone, from New York Magazine and the Box Media Podcast Network. This is On with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher. My guest today is architect Jeanne Gang. She leads Studio Gang, an international architecture and urban design firm. Some of her standout projects include the Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History and Solar Carve, which are both in Manhattan, the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the Populus Hotel in Denver. Gang's first skyscraper, the 82-story Aqua Tower in Chicago, was the tallest female-designed one in the world. That is, until she designed the 101-story St. Regis Chicago tower. Gang's work has been praised for its boldness and common sense. Her designs are remarkably varied. No two buildings look alike. They're united by the desire to connect people to each other and to the environment. Gang has received many honors over the course of her career, including the MacArthur Fellowship and most recently, the 2026 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture. She's also a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. I know