Ray Kappe: California Modern Master - Forty Years of Modular Evolution
2009 · 26m · Documentary
Explorations in 21st Century American Architecture Series: Ray Kappe has long been a cult figure in the architectural scene in and around Los Angeles. In 1972, he founded the influential, avant garde Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC), where many of the younger-generation architects have studied or taught.
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2023 · ★ 7.3
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