John Lobell addresses how new technology changes our consciousness, which in turn leads to cultural paradigm shifts. He received his degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and is a professor of architecture at Pratt Institute. His interests include creativity, architecture, cultural theory, consciousness, mythology, and movies. He has lectured throughout the world and is the author of numerous articles and several books.
Our world is no longer what we have thought it to be, and a new world is struggling to be born.
Visionary Creatives are driven to bring this new world to all of us.

John Lobell CV

Education
1967, Enrolled for a Ph.D. in philosophy at The New School for Social Research. Did not complete. Professors included Paul Goodman and Hans Jonas. Faculty advisor was Aron Gurvitch.
M. Arch., 1966, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Fine Arts Degree for independent studies and thesis in architectural and cultural theory under Dean G. Holmes Perkins
M. Arch., 1965, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Fine Arts
Design critics and instructors included Denise Scott Brown, Robert Geddes, Romaldo Giurgola, Stanislawa Nowicki, G. Holmes Perkins, Robert Venturi. Audited courses or attended lectures and juries with Edmund Bacon, Ian McHarg, Robert Le Ricolais, August Komendant, Louis Kahn.
B.A., 1963, University of Pennsylvania, honors major in architecture
Continuing Studies
1970- Courses, lectures, and workshops at the AIA, Institute for Architecture present and Urban Studies, the New York Open Center, the New School for Social Research, NYU, Pratt, Parsons, the School of Visual Arts, etc. Subjects include the arts; design; computer science, graphics and applications; and culture. Nanotechnology with Eric Drexler and Ralph Merkle. Computer science with Herb Tesser. Mythology with Joseph Campbell (founding board member, Joseph Campbell Foundation). Buddhism with the Dali Lama, Robert Thurman, Lobsang Sampton, Chogyam Trungpa, and Lama Tsultrim Allione. Shamanism with Michael Harner. Tai Chi with Professor Cheng Man-Ch’ing.
Recent Conference Attendance
2002- present. I have attended numerous conferences on nanotechnology (Foresight Institute), futurism (Accelerating Change), architecture and computation, building technology (NY AIA), cryopreservation, consciousness, computer gaming, and digital industrial technology (GE’s Minds+Machines).
Teaching
Pratt Institute, School of Architecture,  Since 1969
Full Professor with tenure since September 1980
Teaching has included design, history of architecture (survey courses, Non Western architecture, contemporary architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright, Kahn and Venturi), architectural theory, transportation and communication, city planning, impact of technology, computers and society, creativity.
Administration
Coordinator for history/theory, 1980-92. Acting Director (Dean), Summer 1973. Chair for Curriculum, Spring 1973. Chair for Faculty, Fall 1973.
Committees
Chair, School of Architecture Curriculum Committee, 2015-2020. School of Architecture Technology Committee, 2015. Provost Search Committee, 1998. Faculty Handbook Committee, 1998. Institute Strategic Planning Committee, 1995-97. President, School of Architecture faculty, 1995-97. Board of Trustees, Education Committee, 1995-96. Academic Senate, 1991-2005. Board of Trustees, Development Committee, 1992-93. Faculty Council (Institute), intermittently, 1986-91. Coordinator’s Council 1990-92. Educational Planning Council 1992-1998. Principle writer, NAAB accreditation report, 1996, 91, 86. Board of Trustees Student Affairs Committee, 1988. Board of Trustees, Buildings and Grounds Committee, 1984. Task Force for a Just Community, 1991-93. Student Faculty Council, 1969-72. Various other committees.
Build Academy
2016. Online courses on Frank Lloyd Wright and modern architecture.
Hunter College
Visiting instructor, 1979-80. Course on modern architecture.
School of Visual Arts
Visiting instructor, 1969-71. Course on environmental art.
Current Consulting and Positions
Visionaries, 2016-present
Talk and interview podcast on PRN.fm, back shows on Visionaries.Podbean.com.
Timeship, 2000-present
Director of Research and Education. A complex for the storage of cryogenically preserved organs and people traveling to the future. The Architect for the project is Stephen Valentine.
Milgo-Bufkin, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1970-88, 1996-2015
Architectural consultant; supervising of fabrication of large-scale sculptures for major artists; corporate planning. Involved in product development for AlgoRhythms, complex curved metal based on the higher mathematics of surfaces, created by the architect/morphologist Haresh Lalvani.
Architectural Offices
Ulrich Franzen and Associates, Architects, New York, 1967-69
Research for New Forms of the Evolving City, urban design in Manhattan, under a $250,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. Job captain on three housing projects.
Abraham W. Geller, Architect, New York, 1966-67
Designer. Projects included housing, synagogue, mall, interiors.
Harrison and Abramovitz, Architects, New York, 1966
Albany State Capital Mall.
Internet / Technology Experience
Websites, 1993-present
Designed and managed websites and BBS systems for various corporate clients.
TelZero, 2000-2001
Research Analyst. Telecom offering free long distance service and telephone portal features.
NetNames USA, 1996-1998
International internet domain name registration and services. Cofounder, director, and officer.
Websites I created and maintain include:
Note: These contain numerous articles.
About me: https://johnlobell.com
About my book, “Visionary Creativity:” https://visionarycreativity.com
About digital industrial design: https://generativegenomics.com
About Myths and Movies: https://cinemadiscourse.com (with John David Ebert)
About my late wife, Mimi Lobell who was a Pratt Professor: https://mimilobell.com
Other Experience
New York Open Center, 1989-91. Editorial director, New York Open Center/Prentice Hall Books.
Arts Magazine, 1968-70. Architectural Contributor
Joseph Campbell Foundation. Founding Advisory Board Member, 1990-1996. Other roles included presentations, newsletter, publications, management, etc.
Publications: Books
Louis Kahn: Building as Philosophy, Monacelli Press, 2020
Architecture and Structures of Consciousness, JXJ Publications., 2020
Movies, Myths,  and Archetypes, JXJ Publications., 2020
Visionary Creativity: How New Worlds are Born, JXJ Publications., 2015
Joseph Campbell: The Man & His Ideas, Joseph Campbell Foundation, 1993
The Little Green Book:  A Guide to Self-Reliant Living in the ’80s. Shambhala Publications, 1981
Between Silence and Light: Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn, Shambhala Publications, 1979, reissued with a new introduction, 2009
The Philadelphia School: 1955 to 1965. Coauthor. Not published.
Publications: Contributions to Books
Growing Up in Ridgewood, Queens, by Griselda Holzinger Lobell. Introduction.
Of Things the Used to Be, by Nathan D. Lobell. Introduction.
Timeship: The Architecture of Immortality, by Stephen Valentine. 2009. Contribution to writing.
“The Philadelphia School: An Architectural Philosophy,” with Mimi Lobell in Louis I. Kahn, l’uomo, il maestro, Alessandra Latour, ed., 1986.
Master Builders, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1985. Entry on Louis Kahn.
The American Academic Encyclopedia, 1982. Entry on Louis Kahn.
The American Academic Encyclopedia, entry on Louis Kahn. This encyclopedia has been published on various electronic services (Compuserve, Protegy, etc.), and on CD.
Publications: Articles
“Quantum Theoretical Issues in Architecture: It’s a Lot Stranger Than We Think.” Tarp, Issue 2, Spring 2004.
“Campbell on Freud and Jung.” Joseph Campbell Foundation Newsletter, No. 1, Fall 1993.
“A Primer on Joseph Campbell.”  Whole Earth Review, Summer 1988.
“Architecture and Structures of Consciousness, Pratt Journal of Architecture, Vol II, Spring 1988.
“An Interview with John Hejduk,” with Mimi Lobell. Pratt Journal of Architecture, Vol I, Fall 1985
“Myth in Architecture:  The Work of Alice Aycock.”  Skyline, Apr. 1980.
“Doric, Ironic, & Labyrinthian: Classical Architecture in America.”  Skyline, Feb. 1980.
“A Lucid Mystic.”  Smithsonian, Jul. 1979. Article on Louis Kahn.
“Kahn and Venturi:  An Architecture of Being-in-Context.”  Artforum, Feb. 1978.
“American Women Architects.”  Artforum, Summer 1977.
“The Beaux-Arts: A Reconsideration of Meaning in Architecture.”  AIA Journal, Nov. 1975.
“Towards A Zero Energy Architecture.”  On Site On Energy, Fall 1974.  Article on architecture and information theory.
Publications: Book Reviews (by title and author of book reviewed)
Journal of Architectural Education:
The Act of Creation and the Spirit of a Place, Nili Portugali, Nov. 2008
AIA Journal:
Le Corbusier, von Moos, Mar. 1980.
Borromini, Blunt, Jan. 1980.
The Drawings of Louis Henry Sullivan, Sprague, Jul. 1979.
Louis I. Kahn, Ronner, Jul. 1978.
Dimensions, Moore, Jun. 1977.
Greene and Greene, Makinson, Oct. 1977.
Boulle and Visionary Architecture, Rosenau, Feb. 1977.
Louis I. Kahn, Giurgola; 18 Years With Architect Louis I. Kahn, Komendant, Jul. 1976.
Architecture & Utopia, Tafuri, Oct. 1976.
Quadrant:
Inner Reaches of Outer Space, Campbell, 1988.
Skyline:
The Timeless Way of Building, A Pattern Language, The Oregon Experiment, Feb. 1980.
White Towers, Hirshorn & Izenouer, Sept. 1979.
Smithsonian:
My Works and Days, Louis Mumford, Sept. 1979.
Progressive Architecture:
Multistory Housing, Schnitt; High Density Living, Jensen, Jan. 1967. Highways and Our Environment, Robinson; Autokind vs. Mankind, Schneider; Beyond the Automobile, Stone, Sept. 1971.
Arts Magazine:
Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, Venturi, Feb. 68.
Matrix of Man, Moholy-Nagy, Dec./Jan. 1969.
Beyond Modern Sculpture, Burnham, Nov. 1968.
Papers Presented at Conferences
 “Genomic Fabrication,” presented to Humanity+, New York, 2011.
“Envisioning a Zero Energy Future” presented at the Oxford Round Table, Oxford, August 2008.
 “Quantum Issues in Architecture” presented at Universal Machines, Pratt, February 2005.  (Co-organizer of the conference. Keynote speaker, Stephen Wolfram.)
“Art and the Malleability of Merleau-Ponty’s Body Subject” presented at Merleau-Ponty symposium, Pratt, Spring 2005.
“How Culture Reveals Structures of Consciousness” Toward a Science of Consciousness 2004, Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson, April 2004.
Presentations at “A Parliament of the World’s Religions,” Chicago, August-September, 1993.
Presentations at “A Mythological Toolbox,” a program presented by the Joseph Campbell Foundation at Esalen Institute, CA. March, 1993, 94, 95.
Presentation at “Passing the Torch,” a program presented by the Joseph Campbell Foundation at The Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. January, 1993.
Participated in a conference, “Building a Free Media in the CIS,” Sochi, Russia. American and Russian journalists, publishers, politicians, and academics.  Spring 1992.
 “Design and the Powerful Logics of the Mind’s Deep Structures.”  DMG-DRS Journal, Design Research and Methods, Vol. 9, No. 3, Jul.-Sept. 1975.
 “A Unified Theory of Transportation and Communication.”  The International Symposium on Urban Housing and Transportation, Wayne State Univ. Spring 1975.
Lectures
Over 100 lectures on YouTube with over 200,000 views.
2020 Waterside Plaza, New York, NY.
2017 Kansas City Baroque Consortium, Kansas City, MO.
2019, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14   ArtIs, Naples FL.
2016 Pratt, NY
2014 Cruise ship lectures, Aegean cruise
2010   Cryopreservation focus group, Dearfield Beach, FL.
2009   Urban Center. Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.
2008   Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, New York. AIA.
2006   Philharmonic, Naples FL. CIMA NY.
2005 CIMA, NY. Pratt Institute, Brooklyn N.Y.
2004 Judson College, Illinois. Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY.
1998 Beaux Arts Society. Brooklyn Museum Architectural Film Festival.
1994 Hampton University, Virginia.
1993 Louisiana Tech, Ruston. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. Texas Tech, Lubbock.
1989-92  Various lectures at the New York Open Center.
1992 Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston. Hammons School of Architecture, Drury College, Springfield Missouri. University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
1991 University of Detroit Mercy. University of Manitoba. Long Island Chapter AIA.
1987 Syracuse University, Regional ACSA.
1986 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.  Steelcase, N.Y.
1985 Washington University, St. Louis (Regional ACSA conference).  University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City.
1984 The Catholic University of America, Washington D. C.  A.I.R. Gallery, NY.
1983  Assumption College, Worcester, Mass.  Pratt Institute, Brooklyn N.Y.
1982 Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.
1980 UC Berkeley.  UC Los Angeles.  USC Los Angeles.  Cal Poly, San Lui Obispo.  Esalen Institute.  University of Nebraska, Lincoln.  Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.  HLW, N.Y.
1979 University of Detroit.  The Graham Foundation.
1978 Association of Architectural Librarians, New York.  EDRA 9, University of Arizona.  Lawrence Institute of Technology, Southfield, Michigan.
1977 New York University.  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York.  Kent State University, Ohio.  University of Idaho
1976 The Architectural League of New York.
1974 Energy and Evolution Conference, University of Texas at Austin.  Design Methods Conference, Berkeley.
1968 The School of Visual Arts.  Columbia University.
1967 The Architectural League of New York.
Exhibitions
2004 Timeship: The Architecture of Immortality by Stephen Valentine. Contributions to the text for the exhibit. Municipal Art Society, NYC.
1971 The Architecture of Speed: Form, Function and the Racing Motorcycle. With Jonathan Morse. Scheduled showing at the New York Cultural Center. Show was not realized.
1970 Words, a collaborative media, by Bud Wirtschafter, Loeb Student Center, NYU
1967 Environment IV, Corridors, The Architectural League of New York.
Trophies, Tombstones and Monuments, The Museum of Contemporary Crafts, entry with Michael Steiner in group show
Grants and Awards
1998 to 2012    Pratt Institute Faculty Development Grant several times
1985-86 Title III grants through Pratt Institute for computer studies
1980  Graham Foundation grant
1968  Grant awarded from the J. Clawson Mills Award of the Architectural League for the funding of the 1968-69 lecture series
1967  Grants awarded for financing Environment IV, Corridors at The Architectural League from the J. Clawson Mills Fund of the League, the Kaplan Fund, and the American Federation of Arts.  New York State Scholar Incentive Award.
Professional/Academic Organizations
The Architectural League of New York, 1967-present
1973-74, Member of the Board. 1970-73, member scholarships and awards
committee. 1973, Chair of Scholarship and Awards Committee. 1968-70:  Chair of Current Works Committee. 1969, Chair of the Nominating Committee.
Shows curated as Chair of the Current Works Committee:
• Bruce Goff Show, first major show of Goff’s work, January 1970
• Dial-a-Poem, Winter 1969
• Hyperspaces by Raimund Abraham, February 1969
• Street Works, October 1969
• Urban Design New York, May 1969
• James Lee Byars participatory events of communal clothing, Sept. 1968
College Art Association, intermittently since 1997
Modern Language Association, intermittently since 1993

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