Computational Material Culture in Architecture

We were very happy to continue our »Talking Matters« lecture series with a summer edition on July 12th as on-site event in the Sophienstraße. Our guest Achim Menges, architect and professor for architecture at the University of Stuttgart and director of the Cluster of Excellence »Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture«, was giving inspiring insights into and discussions about »Computational Material Culture in Architecture«.

The lecture was given in English. It was part of the lecture series of the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity« entitled Talking Matters.

Abstract

Digital technologies serve as catalysts to advance our conception of ›materiality‹ and the technologies of ›materialization‹, which is urgently required in the light of the multifaceted socio-cultural and ecological challenges architecture is facing. Through the presentation of selected research and building projects Achim Menges will argue that innovation across multiple disciplines suggests that design computation is no longer limited to the binary realm of the digital, but instead becomes an intense interface to the more complex domain of the physical. Thus, a new material culture in architecture is beginning to arise, forging new alliances between the fields of design, engineering and natural as well as social sciences.

CV

Achim Menges is a registered architect in Frankfurt and full professor at the University of Stuttgart, where he is the founding director of the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the director of the Cluster of Excellence »Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture« (IntCDC). In addition, he has been Visiting Professor in Architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and held multiple other visiting professorships in Europe and the United States. His work focuses on the development of interdisciplinary and integrative design at the intersection of computational design methods, robotic manufacturing and construction processes, as well as advanced material and building systems.