Forum Lecture: Re-Assembling Fabrication
March 14, 2022
6:00 pm EST
2021-2022 FORUM LECTURE SERIES: RE-ASSEMBLE
RE-ASSEMBLING FABRICATION
Monday, March 14, 2022
6:00 p.m. EST
Free public online event
Topic
Amid a growing housing crisis and increased calls to limit the overwhelming climate impacts of residential construction, this Forum Lecture asks: What novel fabrication and material forming techniques can we use to reassemble our approaches to domesticity? Computational design and automated fabrication have today become mainstream in the construction industry. Yet, there remains much to consider with regard to energy efficiency and structural possibilities. Two award-winning practices at the forefront of fabrication techniques will share their exemplary projects and describe what they see as the industry’s future possibilities.
Speakers
Michael Green
Michael Green Architecture
Principal – Architect AIBC FRAIC AIA
Michael Green is an award-winning architect, speaker, and author known for using design to create meaningful, sustainable built environments that benefit both people and planet. A leader in wood construction and innovation, Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the recipient of an honourary doctorate degree from the University of Northern British Columbia, lecturing internationally on the subject of mass timber and new building technology, including his TED talk, Why We Should Build Wooden Skyscrapers. He serves as a government policy advisor on mass timber design and is the co-author of the first and second editions of The Case for Tall Wood Buildings and Tall Wood Buildings: Design, Construction and Performance.
Michael founded Vancouver-based architecture and design firm Michael Green Architecture in 2012, and alongside fellow Principal Natalie Telewiak, the team is now ambitiously extending the boundaries of mass timber construction on a range of projects, from private homes to large-scale masterplans. The studio has completed some of the most significant timber buildings in the world and has been recognized with over 40 international awards for design excellence, including the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Firm of the Year, Architizer’s Best in North America Firm Award, four Governor General’s Medals, two RAIC Innovation Awards, and the American Institute of Architects Innovation Award. Michael is also the founder of DBR | Design Build Research and TOE | Timber Online Education, a non-profit school and research platform dedicated to teaching the design and construction of socially, culturally, and environmentally relevant student-led installations, focused on systemic change in building for climate, environment, disaster, and global shelter needs. An avid traveller and adventurer, Michael has explored remote regions of every continent and loves ice climbing, mountaineering, ocean kayaking, and biking. These journeys through nature are what inspire his work.
Ramtin Attar
Promise Robotics
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Ramtin is a graduate of Carleton University’s school of architecture. As the co-founder and CEO of Promise Robotics, he brings more than 16 years of leadership experience in helping the building industry to innovate and adopt new technologies for better productivity and sustainability. Ramtin is a mission-driven leader with a deep passion for positively impacting our communities and advancing the industries. He brings a unique blend of expertise in the development of deep tech, real estate, operational savviness, and corporate strategy. Prior to founding Promise Robotics, Ramtin was a founding member of Autodesk Research, where he assumed several key leadership roles during his 13 years career at Autodesk. As the former Head of Autodesk Technology Centre in Canada, Ramtin was responsible for the strategic vision, implementation and operationalization of Autodesk’s new flagship R&D centre located at the MaRS Discovery in Toronto; and the first AI-assisted office design in large scale housing 200 employees, in addition to a state-of-art prototyping facility for technology start-ups. At a different capacity, Ramtin was a Distinguished Research Scientist at Autodesk as he led the development of core technology visions and strategies, including Autodesk Moonshots in Industrialized Construction and Autodesk’s new AI & Robotics activities in EMEA. A technical savvy CEO, Ramtin is also an inventor and holds multiple patents related to BIM, IoT, Digital Twin, and Simulation technologies.
About Re-Assemble
The notion of assembly is at the core of architecture, from building materials to community connections, theoretical frameworks to programmatic uses, structural components to project teams. It is through these broadly defined yet inter connected assemblies that we construct our built environment. As we navigate new ways of convening and interacting with one another following the easing of lockdowns, the 2021-22 Forum Lecture Series turns to these many processes of architectural assembly and re-assembly.
Reflecting on the current state of society and design’s role within it, we ask: In what ways are people, places and practices today being re-assembled? How is this driving innovation in design research, professional practice, and pedagogy?
The history of architecture is one of perennial re-assembly—of building on and iterating theories, of reconfiguring design concepts, approaches, and collaborations, in addition to physically constructing materials and spaces. The altered social behaviours, ad-hoc spatial configurations, shifting demographics, and growing virtual realm of our past pandemic-focused year have only underscored our impetus to re-assemble.
Unpacking these dynamics, this lecture series investigates the future possibilities of physical, spatial, and operational re-assembly within our urban realm, acknowledging that these processes are not exclusively within the purview of design professionals.
We acknowledge the generous support of our founding sponsors: