Economist Jeremy Rifkin, in his book, Third Industrial Revolution, posited the third industrial revolution “…will fundamentally change every aspect of the way we work and live.” Professor Fisher utilizes this Rifkin hypothesis to theorize on the future impacts to the profession of architecture, our built environments, our cities, the natural environment, higher education, and our values in society and cultures.

In his article, “Cities in the Third Industrial Revolution” (Huffigton Post, 3/6/14), Professor Fisher wrote, “The Great Recession may well represent the start of what the economist Jeremy Rifkin has called ‘The Third Industrial Revolution.’ If the fiRst industrial revolution of the 19th century ushered in the mechanization of hand labor, with the steam engine as its iconic technology, and the second industrial revolution of the 20th century arose with mass production and consumption of goods, with the assembly line as its icon, the third industrial revolution has emerged with computer-controlled fabrication technology, like 3-D printing.”

In his presentation Professor Fisher will build on this paradigm to explore what has already occurred in our economy, our cities, the place and way we live and work, and what can we expect in the future. Tom Fisher is recognized as a national leader in architecture, design, and urban planning. He has a distinguished career in architecture and as an editor and editorial director of the professional journal, Progressive Architecture.

Since 1996, he has been dean of the College of Architecture at the university of Minnesota, and in 2005 he led the college through a consolidation with the design departments formerly in the College of Human Ecology to form the College of Design. He has been recognized for his research, teaching, and public service by the University of Minnesota, the American Institute of Architects Minnesota, and in the publishing profession.

Dean Fisher is a scholar, educator, community servant, and opinion leader. As a leader in his profession, he has served on 60 advisory committees and jury panels from California to Boston and New York City to Edina. He earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cornell University and master’s in Intellectual History from Case Western Reserve University.

We are fortunate to have his academic and professional leadership as the dean of the University’s College of Design. and, we are delighted to have him as our January luncheon speaker.