Virtual Design Festival

Live interview with border-wall seesaw architect Virginia San Fratello of Rael San Fratello

Architect Virginia San Fratello of Rael San Fratello and Emerging Objects speaks to Dezeen in this live Screentime conversation sponsored by Enscape, as part of Virtual Design Festival.

San Fratello leads the Oakland-based architectural studio alongside co-founder Ronald Rael. Among the studio's projects is a group of 3D-printed earth structures intended to demonstrate the potential of using mud in architecture.

The studio attracted international recognition when it installed three pink seesaws in between the metal slats of the US-Mexico border wall, so that children on either side can play together.

The pair are also the co-founders of additive manufacturing startup Emerging Objects, which 3D-printed a pavilion using salt harvested from San Francisco Bay.

Architect Virginia San Fratello leads architecture studio Rael San Fratello
Architect Virginia San Fratello co-founded Oakland-based firm Rael San Fratello

Other creatives featured in our Screentime series include trend forecaster Li Edelkoortarchitect Dong-Ping WongNew York architecture practice SO-ILThe World Around curator Beatrice Galileefilmmaker Gary Hustwit and British-Israeli architect Ron Arad.

This Screentime conversation is sponsored by Enscape, a virtual reality and real-time rendering plugin for architectural design programme Autodesk Revit.

Virtual Design Festival is the world's first online design festival, taking place from 15 April to 30 June. For more information, or to be added to the mailing list, contact us at [email protected].