Architect to Discuss Cultural Influences

Architect Steven Ehrlich will discuss his philosophy of design during a free slide show and lecture at Orange Coast College tonight.

The Venice architect was recently commissioned to design Orange Coast College’s $11-million Art Center, which is scheduled to open in 1995.

An exhibition of his work is on display at OCC’s Art Gallery through Oct. 26. He has designed buildings ranging from private homes in Southern California to an exotic theater in Nigeria. Also on display are comprehensive ink studies and models of the OCC project.

Ehrlich spent two years working for the Moroccan Regional Architecture and Planning Office in Marrakesh while in the Peace Corps. He then worked for six years teaching architecture at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria. He studied local forms of architecture and now considers himself an “architectural anthropologist,” linking architecture and culture. Ehrlich will discuss the effects these cross-cultural influences have had on his designs.

The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. in OCC’s Forum.