Carnegie Mellon University
February 01, 2013

Press Release: "[En]Coding Architecture 2013" at Carnegie Mellon Presents Experimental Work Through Computational Thinking and Digital Fabrication

The "Future" Architect is a Systems Designer in a Post-Digital / Biological Age

Contact: Pam Wigley / 412-268-1047 / pwigley@andrew.cmu.edu

EncodingPITTSBURGH-[En]Coding Architecture 2013 at Carnegie Mellon University is a conference focused on the paradigm shift in architecture and the role of the architect/designer in a new age. Free and open to the public, the lecture series kicks off with a preview on Thursday evening, Feb. 7, and workshops, sessions and debates taking place Feb. 8 and 9 on the CMU campus. Registration is required.

The series features rising superstars, experienced researchers and thought-provoking designers who will present experimental work that blends the principles of architectural theory, cultural philosophy, digital fabrication and computational architecture. The result, according to Conference Chair Liss C. Werner, will be two days of looking toward the future of architecture - both as a profession and as culture, an internal/external force that affects people's lives every day.

"The architect is no longer an organizer of matter and space, but a designer of systems with multi-layered components and complex relationships," said Werner, a visiting professor and George N. Pauly Fellow at Carnegie Mellon's School of Architecture. "The way we approach the future affects our industry and the people who are part of any designed environments."

The future, in this case, presents highly interdisciplinary acts including human and robotic work among other hot topics. Keynote speakers such as Eric Goldemberg, Sean Ahlquist, Neil Leach, Daniel Shiffman, Sanford Kwinter and project presenters will talk about current trends, such as robots in architecture; architecture as a political act; kinetic architecture; human/machine learning and the role of code. The call for projects generated almost 60 submissions from all over the globe; presenters will be on hand from the United States, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, China, Iran, West Africa and Greece. A full list of speakers, presentations, a conference schedule and registration instructions are available at http://encodingarchitecture.org/.

"We are thrilled to have such interest in the conference, from both participants and attendees," Werner said, noting that more than 150 people are registered to date. "Seeing a large number of female authors who have submitted highly competitive and cutting edge projects shows that the field is expanding continuously to reflect the emergence of diverse interdisciplinary teams that are part of architecture's future."

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