Dr. Daas appears monthly on NPR’s Boston station FM 89.7 GBH’s The Culture Show in an 18-minute segment, “AI: Actual Intelligence,” where he discusses architecture, cities, education, AI, and broader cultural topics such as sports, presidential libraries, and infrastructure.
December 2025: Frank Gehry was far more than flamboyant forms. In this conversation, I joined Jared Bowen at the Boston Public Library to reflect on Gehry’s deeper legacy—how he transformed not just architecture’s look, but its tools, processes, and possibilities. From aerospace tech to digital collaboration, from lamps to fish to titanium towers, Gehry’s restless genius reshaped the field.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFu40SBEAdU&t=12225s
November 2025: On The Culture Show Live, I reflected on the legacy of Professor Kongjian Yu—landscape architect, visionary, and creator of the “Sponge City” movement—who passed away in September. We had planned an original exhibition of his work at the BAC. Though he never made it to Boston, his ideas continue to ripple outward, offering hope for coastal cities and river towns around the world.
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eMiZiEPe
October 2025: How might we balance AI’s voracious energy needs through ancient Indian wisdom? I discussed AI’s growing energy footprint, the promise of geothermal power, and the Pancha Bhutas—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space—as a framework for sustainable balance.
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eGr3j488
September 2025: The art and science of relocating a building—my segment explored real examples of moving entire structures and what they reveal about adaptive design.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/september-3-2025-adela-goldbard-and-pedro-alonzo-jyoti-and-auyon-mukharji-and-mahesh-daas
August 2025: dDevelopment and construction in Boston and what the city’s skyline can accommodate when it comes to building skyscrapers.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/august-6-2025-dennis-lehane-on-smoke-a-boston-mayoral-forum-on-arts-and-culture-recap-and-mahesh-daas
July 2025: On the contributions of architect Graham Gund who recently passed away.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/july-2-2025-danielle-allen-the-family-heritage-experience-and-mahesh-daas
June 2025: The enduring legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work in New England, with a focus on his two houses in Manchester, NH.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/june-4-2025-nemr-revolutionary-history-in-somerville-and-the-legacy-of-frank-lloyd-wright
May 2025: How design shapes civic experience in Boston’s Copley Square.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/may-20-2025-the-michelin-guide-in-boston-jajas-african-hair-braiding-and-mahesh-daas
April 2025: On the transformative impact of COVID on higher education.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/april-9-2025-amor-towles-the-250th-anniversary-of-paul-reveres-midnight-ride-and-mahesh-daas
March 2025: Discussing the Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO: Research Center of the Sea of Cortez exhibition at the BAC’s McCormick Gallery.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/march-24-2025-the-ballad-of-wallis-island-the-isu-world-figure-skating-championships-and-mahesh-daas
February 2025: Reflecting on the wildfires in Los Angeles and the relationship between cities, climate, and resilience.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/february-5-2025-liza-a-truly-terrific-absolutely-true-story-and-mahesh-daas
January 2025: The Brutalist—a Golden Globe-winning film—and the enduring legacy of Brutalist architecture.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/january-8-2025-lynns-search-for-a-poet-laureate-beau-mccall-and-mahesh-daas-on-the-brutalist
December 2024: Five years after the fire, revisiting the rebirth of Notre-Dame de Paris and lessons in restoration.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/december-12-2024-engelbert-humperdinck-the-boston-tea-partys-anniversary-and-mahesh-daas
October 2024: Launch of Native(s)—the Walter Hood exhibition hosted at the BAC.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/october-23-2024-swoon-keefer-glenshaw-and-mahesh-daas
July 2024: Honoring the Cricket T20 World Cup and tracing the sport’s forgotten roots in U.S. history.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/july-3-2024-jazz-at-the-omni-the-boomin-beaver-and-the-cricket-world-cup
June 2024: Discussing Boston’s worsening housing crisis and creative design solutions for affordability.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/june-5-2024-the-dybbuk-baseball-and-the-housing-crisis
May 2024: On Shepley Bulfinch’s enduring design legacy—launching a major retrospective exhibition.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/may-1-2024-back-to-the-future-joywalk-fenway-and-mahesh-daas
April 2024: On U.S. infrastructure and lessons from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/culture/2024-04-03/award-winning-composer-jeff-beal-on-what-it-takes-to-craft-a-score
March 2024: AI, robots, architecture, and cities—examining the technological transformations shaping design.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/culture/2024-03-06/preserving-the-art-of-film-projection-in-somerville
February 2024: Life, career, and creativity—my first appearance on The Culture Show.
🔗 https://www.wgbh.org/culture/2024-02-07/walk-to-these-local-boston-art-installations-for-lunar-new-year