Moderator Dhiru Thadani described Léon and Rob Krier's work as essential to mitigating our current fossil-fuel dependence.
Léon Krier, the "grandfather of New Urbanism" and inaugural winner of the Driehaus Prize, discussed his recent work with brother Rob, one of the most talented architectural draughtsmen and global urban planners.
Léon and Rob have influenced architecture and urbanism for the past 30 years. Born in Luxembourg, the brothers witnessed their hometown devastated by poor planning decisions and low-grade buildings. This galvanized their convictions to create developments that embrace the principles and techniques of traditional architecture and urbanism.
Léon's talk focused on his work with the Prince of Wales on the English model town of Poundbury as well as New Quay. Rob discussed his work on the Palace of Justice complex in Luxembourg and projects in Berlin and the Netherlands. Each of these global accomplishments illustrated New Urbanism concepts in practice.