IAAC Fall Lecture Series 2014

Monday 1st of December 2014

Aaron Betsky

Lecture: The Architecture of Hunting and Gathering

@ 19.30, IAAC Auditorium

Open to the Public

AARON BETSKY

Aaron Betsky is a critic, curator, educator, lecturer, and writer on architecture and design, who, from 2006 to January 2014, was the director of the Cincinnati Art Museum. From 2001 to 2006 Betsky served as director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

He graduated fromYale University with a B.A. in History, the Arts and Letters and a M.Arch. He then taught at Cal Poly Pomona and the University of Cincinnati from 1983 to 1985 and worked as a designer for Frank Gehry and Hodgetts & Fung. From 1995 to 2001 Betsky was Curator of Architecture, Design and Digital Projects at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art before moving back to The Netherlands.

Betsky has written numerous monographs on the work of late 20th century architects, including I.M. Pei, UN Studio, Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Inc., Zaha Hadid and MVRDV, as well as treatises on aesthetics, psychology and human sexuality as they pertain to aspects of architecture.

Betsky was named as the director of the 11th Exhibition of the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2008.

Through the presentation of a series of their projects, Ali and Luis showed how with each project BAD strives to give a simple answer to complex challenges, considering data as something with the ability to form structured logics, through its inherent associative properties. These organizations are organic and naturally efficient groupings of data and can provide for novel directions throughout the design process. BAD leverages this concept in order to understand specific contexts wherever a project may arise. The data identified and collected from site analysis will not yield the same organization in Beirut as it will in Barcelona. BAD strives to understand and exploit these variations in order to enrich every one of their projects.

IAAC Fall Lecture Series 2014

Tuesday 25th of November 2014

Built by Assoiciative Data – Ali Basbous + Luis Fraguada

Lecture: BAD Bits

@ 19.30, IAAC Auditorium

Open to the Public

ALI BASBOUS - IAAC Alumni

Ali Basbous (Beirut, 1973) is the Founder and Director of BAD; A Canadian, Lebanese Architect living between Barcelona and Beirut. Ali holds a Masters degree in Advanced Architectural Design from IAAC. Ali’s global experience in creating pioneering ideas have been prized and granted many internationally notable awards. Ali has been performing major roles and renowned design practices like JDS Architects (Brussels, Copenhagen), NBBJ (Shanghai, Seattle) and Raphael Vinoly Architects (New York). Ali’s work has been strongly influenced by questions concerning the evolution of social interaction and new technologies. Ali pursues an expertise in the use of powerful modeling and design software (as Rhino 3D, Grasshopper and VB scripting) to discover new Architectural forms that can respond to contemporary culture, economics and industry. His deep understanding for the complex systems of nature and the massive Data accumulation varying between sustainable issues to practical diagrammatic programming enable him a to generate precise definitions to acquire pioneering designs. During his professional practice the firms he collaborated with have won several competitions and awards on major landmark projects.

LUIS FRAGUADA – IAAC Alumni

Luis Fraguada is the Research Director of Bad Research, he investigates critical issues in architecture, design and urbanism through various modes, including parametric design, scripting, and fabrication. Luis’ architectural studies began at the University of Colorado, Boulder where he was able to begin exploring computational tools and theories that would lead him to choose this field as a specialty. Luis pursued his master’s degree in architecture and urbanism (M.Arch) from the AA Design Research Laboratory (DRL) in London where he studied with Theodore Spyropoulos. Luis chose this program for it intense use of computational tools and extensive physical prototyping of dynamic structures.

A post-graduate degree in Digital Architectural Production at IAAC brought Luis to Barcelona, where he is currently based. Luis is currently member of the Faculty of Architecture at IaaC in Barcelona, Spain as the principle computation instructor, focusing on the interface between computational processes and fabrication. Luis joined BAD as an associate and the Director of the Barcelona office. His expertise allows BAD to implement diverse data sets and analysis in each project, leading to novel design solutions which exploit the boundaries set by budget, material, political, and societal constraints.

An important characteristic of natural structures is their multi-layered, hierarchically structured, finely tuned and highly differentiated combination of a few basic molecular components leading to structures that feature multiple networked functions. Recent developments in computational design, simulation and fabrication offer new options for transfer of these principles to the macro-scale of building construction. Aim is not only to increase performance, but also to transfer the inherent ecological properties of natural constructions, i.e. mainly the efficient usage of limited resources and the closed material cycles, and thereby to contribute to sustainability in architecture and technology.

Watch the lecture here!

IAAC Fall Lecture Series 2014

Wednesday 19th of November 2014

Kengo Kuma

Lecture: “Smallness” — The world is moving toward small things

@ 12.00, IAAC Auditorium

Open to the Public

KENGO KUMA

Kengo Kuma completed his master’s degree at the University of Tokyo in 1979. After studying at Columbia University as Visiting Scholar, he established Kengo Kuma & Associates 1990. In 2009, he was installed as Professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, University of Tokyo.

Among his major works are Kirosan Observatory (1995), Water/Glass (1995, received AIA Benedictus Award), Stage in Forest, Toyoma Center for Performance Arts (received 1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Annual Award), Bato-machi Hiroshige Museum (received The Murano Prize). Recent works include Nezu Museum (2009, Tokyo), Yusuhara Marche and Wooden Bridge Museum (2010), Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center (2012) , Nagaoka City Hall Aore. (2012), and Kabukiza (2013). Outside Japan, Besancon Music Center and FRAC Marseilles have been recently completed.

Kuma is also a prolific writer and his books have been published in English, Chinese and Korean, gaining wide readership from around the world.

IAAC Fall Lecture Series 2014

Tuesday 18th of November 2014

Jan Knippers

Lecture: Biological Design Strategies for Integrative Structures

@ 19.30, IAAC Auditorium

Open to the Public

JAN KNIPPERS

Jan Knippers specialises in complex parametrical generated structures for roofs and façades, as well as the use of innovative materials such as glass-fibre reinforced polymers. Since 2000 Jan Knippers is head of the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (itke) at the faculty for architecture and urban design at the University of Stuttgart and involved in many research projects on fiber based materials and biomimetics in architecture. Since 2014 he is coordinator of the collaborative research center ‘Biological Design and Integrative Structures’ that aims to contribute to the conceptualization of biomimetics as a scientific discipline in the context of architecture.

Jan Knippers is also partner and co-founder of Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering with offices in Stuttgart, New York City (since 2009) and Berlin (since 2014). The focus of their work is on efficient structural design for international and architecturally demanding projects, as the Peek and Cloppenburg flagship store in Cologne with Renzo Piano (2006) or the Shenzhen International Airport with Massimilano Fuksas in 2013. Jan Knippers completed his studies of civil engineering at the Technical University of Berlin in 1992 with the award of a PhD.

Image Credits: Research Pavillon 2013-2014. ICD (Prof. Achim Menges) and ITKE (Prof. Jan Knippers), University of Stuttgart (credit: ICD/ITKE)

The Lecturers discussed how design is an optimist driver for using life in a better way or living better the used of life, in particular through the implementation of Computing, Making and Sensing, finally generating a fresh take on beauty.

IAAC Fall Lecture Series 2014

Tuesday 11th of November 2014

Yael Reisner + Manuel Jimenez Garcia

Lecture: Computing, Making, Sensing; A Fresh Take on Beauty

@ 19.30, IAAC Auditorium

Open to the Public

YAEL REISNER

Architectural designer, academic, researcher, writer and curator. She has a PhD in architecture from RMIT Melbourne, a Diploma from the AA in London, and a BSc in Biology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Born in Tel Aviv, she has lived in London since 1990 where she is the director of Yael Reisner Studio. An educator, teaching internationally design workshops, seminars and lecture (Sci Arc, Lund Univ., AA, ESA) after 9 years of teaching at the Bartlett, and 6 years at Greenwich University. Her book with F.Watson ‘Architecture and Beauty, Conversations with Architects about A Troubled Relationship’ was the trigger for 6 symposiums. She wrote articles on curating, about the work of G.Pesce, Z.Hecker, P.Wilson, as well as articles in the magazines AR and AD. She built mostly on a domestic scale in Tel Aviv. Since 2010, her interest shifted towards public installations, as part of her interdisciplinary research projects that focus at human wellbeing.

MANUEL JIMENEZ GARCIA

Manuel Jimenez Garcia is currently Course Master of Research Cluster 4 at the MArch Graduate Architectural Design (GAD) and Unit Master of MArch Unit 19, both at The Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL)(London); he is also curator of the Bartlett Computational Plexus and Programme Director at the Architectural Association’s Visiting School in Madrid (AAVSM). He has taught and run workshops at Architectural Association’s Design Research Laboratory (AADRL) (London), Polytechnic University of Architecture (Madrid), European University Madrid and L’École Spéciale d’Architecture (Paris). He holds a masters in Architecture (AADRL) and has worked at offices such as Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Minimaforms, Amid(cero9) and Naja & deOstos. He is the co-founder of madMdesign, an architecture practice based in London. His work has been featured in Acadia 2012, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition or X Bienal Española de Arquitectura.

IAAC Lecture Series 2014/15

Tuesday 4th of November 2014

OPENING LECTURE

Winy Maas – MVRDV

Lecture: What’s Next?

@ 18.30, IAAC Auditorium

Open to the Public

18.30 // Opening

18.40 // Welcome – Manuel Gausa, IAAC Dean

18.50 // Welcome – Areti Markopoulou, IAAC Academic Director

19.00 // Lecture – Winy Maas, MVRDV

WINY MAAS

Prof. Ir. Ing FRIBA HAIA (1959, Schijndel, The Netherlands) is an architect, urban designer and landscape architect and one of the co-founding directors of the globally operating architecture and urban planning firm MVRDV, based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, known for projects such as the Expo 2000 and the vision for greater Paris, Grand Paris Plus Petit. He is furthermore professor at and director of The Why Factory, a research institute for the future city, he founded in 2008 at TU Delft. He is Professor for Architecture and Urban Design at TU Delft, and has been Visiting Professor at ETH Zurich, Berlage Institute, MIT, Ohio State and Yale University. In addition he designs stage sets, objects and was curator of Indesem 2007. He curates exhibitions, lectures throughout the world and takes part in international juries. In 2013 Winy Maas joined the Economic Development Board of Rotterdam (EDBR). In 2012 he was appointed urban supervisor for the city of Almere and since 2003 he has been supervising the Bjørvika urban development in Oslo. With both MVRDV and The Why Factory he has published a series of research projects.

Fathoms, a unit of length equal to six feet (1.8 metres), chiefly used in reference to the depth of water. The original sense was ‘something which embraces’, ‘the outstretched arms’; hence, a unit of measurement based on the span of the outstretched arms….

John Palmesino proposes the term “Fathoms” to question how we approach architecture, intended as a comprehensive and transdisciplinary field:

What is our time? How do we measure it?

We are confronting the rise, extension, deployment and stabilisation of a series of new spaces: territories are reshaped, political connections cut through, agricultural structures reshaped, cities intensified, infrastructures severed and reorganised, resources accessed and exploited. A new series of human spaces is taking form at a dimension unprecedented, sweeping across existing relations, establishing new compounds and moulding new industrial and financial supply chains.

Architecture sets out to measure, sense, imagine and interact with these unfolding form-generating processes: it engages with them, it stabilises them, it amplifies and sustains them, often with disruptive and dislocating outputs. Separation, segregation, disconnection, severance, containment, exclusion are operative architectural forces that are reshaping human activities in our time; as well as reaching out, interconnecting, circulating, globalising, linking and spinning. Do we have the courage to think architecture at the intersection and in interaction with these new, vast, coercive and consistence forms? Can architecture re-imagine them? Dislodge their brutality?

Before the Lecture, both John and Ann-Sofi were guest crits, along with Maite Bravo, in the mid-term presentation of the Emergent Territories Research Studio, led by Willy Muller, with Pablo Ros and Jordi Vivaldi.