2009 ACADIA Awards of Excellence

ACADIA AWARD for EMERGING DIGITAL PRACTICE

Gramazio-Kohler

Architecture and Digital Fabrication, Zurich, Switzerland

ACADIA recognizes Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler for their innovative work on "digital materiality," the interconnection of data and material and the resulting implications on architectural design. Their award-winning Zurich practice, which combines the expertise of architects, craftsmen, physicists and computer programmers, pushes the boundaries of digital fabrication. Their aim is to develop criteria for a new system of structural logic that, by the direct introduction of material and production logic into the design process, will extend the reach of the architect into the production process and thus increase creative freedom and validate a new aesthetic. Their built works include a number of innovative projects that have received several awards and have been published worldwide, such as the Gantenbein vinery fa�ade, the Tanzhaus theatre, and the sWISH* Pavilion at the Swiss National Exposition Expo.02. A book titled "Digital Materiality in Architecture," featuring their projects, was published in 2008. Since 2005, they have been assistant professors at the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich. Their research and teaching focus on architectural design strategies for full-scale robotic fabrication. They are developing additive fabrication processes in a unique research set-up which features a 3m robotic arm on a 7m linear track, permitting the direct construction of building parts on a real-world scale.

web site

ACADIA AWARD for INNOVATIVE RESEARCH

Paul Coates

School of Architecture and the Visual Arts, University of East London, London, UK

The selection of Paul Coates for this award recognizes his influence on the field of Computation in Architecture since the 1970s. Coates's early interests lay within the combination of cybernetics and the structure and growth of unplanned settlements. In the late 1970 Coates developed the first Space Syntax applications with Bill Hillier and John Peponis at the University College London. His Alpha Syntax applications were reproduced in the seminal book, The Social Logic of Space. Coates's development with John Frazer of craft-based parametric design software in the early 1980s was so ahead of its time that its value wasn't recognized yet by the architectural profession. Coates is particularly well known for his forays into Genetic Programming, L-systems and 3D Cellular Automata. All became foundations for most current work in the field. Since 1988 Coates has taught computing in architecture at the University of East London where he set up the Master of Computing & Design in 1991. The MSc Computing & Design has produced unique and trend-setting research with many of its students becoming leaders in academia and industry. In 2004 Coates set up the Centre for Evolutionary Computing in Architecture with Christian Derix at the University of East London, where research also includes implementation of research into live projects with large UK based architectural companies.

ACADIA AWARD for TEACHING EXCELLENCE

Mark D. Gross

School of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University

Mark Gross's commitment to teaching as mentoring is evidenced by his long and substantial record of papers co-authored with students. Together with longtime collaborator and research partner Ellen Yi-Luen Do, Gross has co-authored papers with students and assisted these students in bringing their work to the attention of national and international audiences. At the University of Colorado from 1990-1999, Gross and Do worked with undergraduate students on the school's Boulder campus, and later, while on the faculty of the University of Washington, Gross co-founded and directed the Department of Architecture's Design Machine Group. Do and Gross created the influential Electronic Cocktail Napkin whose glyph-recognition could retrieve similarly tagged graphics from a database. With their students, they went onto develop many sketch-based architectural design tools before moving on to tactile interfaces. Gross has also worked at the MIT Architecture Machine Group, the MIT Logo Lab, and Atari Cambridge Research. At CMU since 2004, Gross now supervises Ph. D. students in computational design and directs a Masters program in Tangible Interaction Design. Mark Gross's mentorship is characterized by the way in which he helps students and colleagues relax and genuinely enjoy their work. He and Do share an energetic and playful spirit combined with intellectual curiosity; their ability to adapt quickly to changes in technology has kept the environment an enjoyable and productive one for students. Gross's recent work on Modular Robotics is pioneering a potentially profound new direction in the application of architectural computation.

ACADIA SOCIETY AWARD

Tom Seebohm

School of Architecture, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

This award recognizes Thomas Seebohm posthumously for his positive spirit of collaborative inquiry. Thomas brought an openness to others as he saw "collaboration as a wellspring for creative design". He inspired his peers through his appreciation of historical, cultural and aesthetic aspects as well as the technical innovations behind new architectural representations. He wanted us to incorporate the human spirit in our digital dreams. For example, he critiqued the algorithmic generation of possible Palladian villas by making a passionate argument that automatic systems should be used with a designer's visual judgment and refined through careful observation. At University of Waterloo's Department of Architecture since 1985, Thomas's work evolved to incorporate the latest technologies: from formal strategies for historical architectural and urban modeling, through lighting studies, tensegrity structures, and GIS. As the founding director of the $5.7 million Integrated Centre for Visualization, Design and Manufacturing, he was most recently involved in immersive environments and digital fabrication. He was using interactive virtual urban models for participatory design, incorporating analytical data to reveal sustainability consequences of regional infrastructure development and transportation decisions. Thomas was a longtime contributor to ACADIA, contributing papers to 10 conferences, serving as technical chair in 1998, the 2001 Inforum competition, and serving on the Steering Committee for many years. He brought a supportive spirit to the organization, acting as a natural mentor to junior faculty and students. His thoughtfulness as an educator is revealed through his students' FormZ Joint Study awards, his collaborative projects and his pedagogical writings. His spirit lives on in those who knew him.


2009 ACADIA Awards of Excellence ACADIA AWARD for EMERGING DIGITAL PRACTICE Gramazio-Kohler Architecture and Digital Fabrication, Zurich, Switzerland ACADIA recognizes Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler for their innovative work on "digital materiality," the interconnection of data and material and the resulting implications on architectural design. Their award-winning Zurich practice, which combines the expertise of architects, craftsmen, physicists and computer programmers, pushes the boundaries of digital fabrication. Their aim is to develop criteria for a new system of structural logic that, by the direct introduction of material and production logic into the design process, will extend the reach of the architect into the production process and thus increase creative freedom and validate a new aesthetic. Their built works include a number of innovative projects that have received several awards and have been published worldwide, such as the Gantenbein vinery fa�ade, the Tanzhaus theatre, and the sWISH* Pavilion at the Swiss National Exposition Expo.02. A book titled "Digital Materiality in Architecture," featuring their projects, was published in 2008. Since 2005, they have been assistant professors at the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich. Their research and teaching focus on architectural design strategies for full-scale robotic fabrication. They are developing additive fabrication processes in a unique research set-up which features a 3m robotic arm on a 7m linear track, permitting the direct construction of building parts on a real-world scale. web site ACADIA AWARD for INNOVATIVE RESEARCH Paul Coates School of Architecture and the Visual Arts, University of East London, London, UK The selection of Paul Coates for this award recognizes his influence on the field of Computation in Architecture since the 1970s. Coates's early interests lay within the combination of cybernetics and the structure and growth of unplanned settlements. In the late 1970 Coates developed the first Space Syntax applications with Bill Hillier and John Peponis at the University College London. His Alpha Syntax applications were reproduced in the seminal book, The Social Logic of Space. Coates's development with John Frazer of craft-based parametric design software in the early 1980s was so ahead of its time that its value wasn't recognized yet by the architectural profession. Coates is particularly well known for his forays into Genetic Programming, L-systems and 3D Cellular Automata. All became foundations for most current work in the field. Since 1988 Coates has taught computing in architecture at the University of East London where he set up the Master of Computing & Design in 1991. The MSc Computing & Design has produced unique and trend-setting research with many of its students becoming leaders in academia and industry. In 2004 Coates set up the Centre for Evolutionary Computing in Architecture with Christian Derix at the University of East London, where research also includes implementation of research into live projects with large UK based architectural companies. ACADIA AWARD for TEACHING EXCELLENCE Mark D. Gross School of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University Mark Gross's commitment to teaching as mentoring is evidenced by his long and substantial record of papers co-authored with students. Together with longtime collaborator and research partner Ellen Yi-Luen Do, Gross has co-authored papers with students and assisted these students in bringing their work to the attention of national and international audiences. At the University of Colorado from 1990-1999, Gross and Do worked with undergraduate students on the school's Boulder campus, and later, while on the faculty of the University of Washington, Gross co-founded and directed the Department of Architecture's Design Machine Group. Do and Gross created the influential Electronic Cocktail Napkin whose glyph-recognition could retrieve similarly tagged graphics from a database. With their students, they went onto develop many sketch-based architectural design tools before moving on to tactile interfaces. Gross has also worked at the MIT Architecture Machine Group, the MIT Logo Lab, and Atari Cambridge Research. At CMU since 2004, Gross now supervises Ph. D. students in computational design and directs a Masters program in Tangible Interaction Design. Mark Gross's mentorship is characterized by the way in which he helps students and colleagues relax and genuinely enjoy their work. He and Do share an energetic and playful spirit combined with intellectual curiosity; their ability to adapt quickly to changes in technology has kept the environment an enjoyable and productive one for students. Gross's recent work on Modular Robotics is pioneering a potentially profound new direction in the application of architectural computation. ACADIA SOCIETY AWARD Tom Seebohm School of Architecture, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada This award recognizes Thomas Seebohm posthumously for his positive spirit of collaborative inquiry. Thomas brought an openness to others as he saw "collaboration as a wellspring for creative design". He inspired his peers through his appreciation of historical, cultural and aesthetic aspects as well as the technical innovations behind new architectural representations. He wanted us to incorporate the human spirit in our digital dreams. For example, he critiqued the algorithmic generation of possible Palladian villas by making a passionate argument that automatic systems should be used with a designer's visual judgment and refined through careful observation. At University of Waterloo's Department of Architecture since 1985, Thomas's work evolved to incorporate the latest technologies: from formal strategies for historical architectural and urban modeling, through lighting studies, tensegrity structures, and GIS. As the founding director of the $5.7 million Integrated Centre for Visualization, Design and Manufacturing, he was most recently involved in immersive environments and digital fabrication. He was using interactive virtual urban models for participatory design, incorporating analytical data to reveal sustainability consequences of regional infrastructure development and transportation decisions. Thomas was a longtime contributor to ACADIA, contributing papers to 10 conferences, serving as technical chair in 1998, the 2001 Inforum competition, and serving on the Steering Committee for many years. He brought a supportive spirit to the organization, acting as a natural mentor to junior faculty and students. His thoughtfulness as an educator is revealed through his students' FormZ Joint Study awards, his collaborative projects and his pedagogical writings. His spirit lives on in those who knew him.