Design x Technology Lecture: Ajla Akšamija

This lecture can be viewed on campus or online.

Architectural designers are currently faced with many challenges—technological changes, environmental and economic impacts, necessity to innovate and raise the bar in building performance, and the paradigm shift in architecture with the wider adoption of advanced computational design and digital fabrication techniques. There are a number or reasons why progressive practices must continuously invest in research and implementation of advanced technologies, but the need to improve design processes and services is typically the overarching drive. Thus, research is becoming an essential component of contemporary practice and will be redefining the future of architectural profession.
This lecture focuses on innovations in architecture, relationships between scientific research and design, and the role of building performance research. It will discuss why is it necessary to embrace technological changes to improve design processes, products and services, as well as the recent developments in building technologies, materials, computational design and integration of scientific research with innovative design.

Participants of this lecture will learn about innovations in architectural design, how to integrate research with the design process, and they will learn about advanced building technologies.

Learning objectives:
• Understand innovations in architecture and how they impact design practices and services
• Evaluate specific design methods and technologies, and how to stimulate innovation in design practice
• Understand relationships between research and design process, as well as implementation of advanced building technologies
• Compare innovative design practices and approaches through case studies.

CEU: This lecture equals 1 professional architecture credit.

This lecture is free and open to the public. As part of CoAD's Design x Technology Lecture Series, guests may watch online or on campus. Register for the location/viewing details.

About Ajla:

Ajla Aksamija, PhD, LEED AP BD+C, CDT, FTI Fellow is a Professor and Distinguished Chair for Resilient Places at the School of Architecture, University of Utah. She directs the Transforming Places, Practices, and Pedagogies Collaborative (TP3C), a research unit within the School of Architecture. Her research expertise includes building science and sustainability, emerging technologies, digital design and representations, and innovations in architecture. Dr. Aksamija also served as the Chair of the School of Architecture at the University of Utah. Prior to joining University of Utah, she was a Professor at the Department of Architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She also directed Perkins&Will Building Technology Laboratory ("Tech Lab"), one of the first practice-driven research laboratories focusing on advanced building technologies, high-performance buildings, computational design, and building facades. She has taught architectural design studios, advanced environmental building design, comprehensive studios and seminars. She has worked on developing building analysis and modeling applications, implementation of novel materials in architectural design, development of computational models, and has collaborated with researchers from material science, civil and environmental engineering and computational design.

Her recent book, "Research Methods for the Architectural Profession", was published by Routledge in 2021. She has authored two previously published books, "Integrating Innovation in Architecture, Design, Methods and Technology for Progressive Practice and Research" (John Wiley & Sons, 2016) and "Sustainable Facades: Design Methods for High-Performance Building Envelopes" (John Wiley & Sons, 2013). Dr. Aksamija has contributed to several other books, and has published over ninety research articles and invited papers. She has presented at various national and international conferences, and is a frequent speaker at industry-based, scientific and academic conferences. She is the founder of the Perkins and Will Research Journal, and served as editor of this first peer-reviewed research journal from architectural practice for fourteen years. She served as the President of the Facade Tectonics Institute.

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