Computational Design: NEXT 3.0

Volkan Alkanoglu works at the intersection of art and design. Born in Turkey and raised in Germany, Alkanoglu attended the Peter Behrens School of Arts in Düsseldorf and Hochschule der Künste in Berlin before receiving a Master of Architectural Design at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London.

His creative focus lies in the exploration of futuristic designs through spatial, material, and technological innovations.

Notable projects of his recent work have been installed in various metropolitan areas in the United States, including Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, and Washington D.C.

Within his academic background, Volkan Alkanoglu has served as the Director for Graduate Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA, and has been part of the design faculty at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, CA, and Harvard University, Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, MA. He holds the designation of LEED Accredited Professional in the USA.

Volkan Alkanoglu is actively engaged in commissioned projects across diverse locations, spanning California, Oregon, Colorado, Maryland, Florida, and Taiwan.

Italian architect and professor Niccolo Casas is Principal and Founder at Niccolo Casas Architecture, a visiting faculty member at RISD Rhode Island School of Design, and a Ph.D. candidate at The Bartlett UCL London. He runs a multidisciplinary practice for research and architecture that aims to combine several fields of specialization so as to offer an innovative and unique vision of the academic discipline and profession. Casas’s work spans architecture to couture and fashion-tech and design to data visualization and medicine. He has collaborated with—among others— the fashion designer Iris Van Herpen, the fashion-tech designer Anouk Wipprecht, the entertainment company Cirque du Soleil, the automotive companies Volkswagen and BMW, the multinational software and electronic corporations Intel and Autodesk, the 3D-printing companies Materialise and 3D Systems, the MIT research team EmbrLabs and the sports firm Sequoia. He has also participated in the National Academy Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI) where, as co-investigator, he was awarded $150,000 for interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of science, art, engineering and medicine. Casas received his Master’s in Architecture at ISA St. Luc in Bruxelles, and for four years, he has been a Professor at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Bologna. In 2013, 2018, and 2019, he was a visiting professor at Texas A&M School of Architecture. In addition, he has taught and lectured at the Università degli Studi di Genova, Università degli Studi di Firenze, London South Bank University, The Bartlett School of Architecture at University College of London, Portsmouth University, Florida International University, and SCI-Arc. Casas’ work has been exhibited worldwide, and it is part of the “(En)Coding Architecture” book, edited by Liss C. Werner, “Naturalis Architecture,” edited by Professor Frédéric Migayrou and Marie-Ange Brayer, the Wiley AD issue “3D Body Architecture”, edited by Neil Leach and Behnaz Farahi, “Histoire des Modes et du Vêtement, du Moyen Âge au XXIe siècle,” edited by Denis Bruna and Chloé Demey, and the recently released “The Blindspot Initiative: Design Resistance and Alternative Modes of Practice,” edited by Jose Sanchez. Tune into Computational Design: NEXT 3.0 now!

Specializes in generative and parametric architecture and design, software development and creation of interactive art installations. He graduated from FA SUT (2007), and AFAD (2008), Slovakia and studied at Arkitekturskolan KTH (2003), Sweden, Die Angewandte (2011), Austria and UMPRUM (2019), Czechia. He established the research research platform and has organized dozens of conferences, workshops, and lectures across Europe. He created the Slovak and Czech pavilion at the 13th Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia (2012). He runs the global learning platform called rese arch Sessions which is used by universities and professionals worldwide. He is active in the international industry scene, teaches architecture, parametric design, and programming at several universities and independent events, lectures, and publishes works on architectural theory. He co-founded the Subdigital Creative Studio (2016), whose team applies knowledge and skills gained from experimental and academic projects.

Aldo Sollazzo is a technologist with robotics, manufacturing, and computational design expertise. Since 2011, Aldo has been the Director of Noumena, leading a multidisciplinary team towards defining new design strategies informed by tech-driven applications. He is also the Director of Reshape, a digital craft community and a distributed platform promoting

cutting-edge ideas that merge design and manufacturing. At IaaC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, he is directing the Master in Robotics and Advanced Construction, focused on the emerging design and market opportunities arising from novel robotic and advanced manufacturing systems. In the same institution, Aldo is also directing the Global Summer School since 2015. Aldo has been part of the Fab Academy program as a mentor of Fab Academy Paris and Frosinone from 2015 to 2017. In 2019, Aldo received, from the Italian President of the Republic, the title of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy for promoting national prestige abroad as a recognition of his scientific and technological activities.

Joseph Sarafian is the co-founder and CEO of Form Found Design, a Los Angeles-based architecture and design studio that operates at the intersection of technology and nature. He believes that innovative design requires both experimentation and mastery of both material and technology. His work bridges this gap, exploring robotics, material science, and form-finding advancements. The result is an architecture that is derived rather than contrived. Along with his partner Ron Culver, they pioneered a new concrete-forming method to realize the world’s first robotically cast concrete pavilion harnessing fabric molds. This proof of concept was built for Amazon and featured 70 uniquely cast concrete “wishbones” assembled within a 1 mm tolerance. FFD is designing a humanitarian housing solution using an on-demand mobile factory for the construction of a light gauge steel frame. Joseph is a licensed architect in California and a tenure-track faculty at Orange Coast College.

Valentina Sumini is a Space Architect and Research Affiliate at MIT Media Lab in Responsive Environments and Space Exploration Initiative and a Visiting Professor at Politecnico di Milano, where she teaches the course “Architecture for Human Space Exploration” at the School of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Construction Engineering. She develops design solutions and architectures to sustain human life in extreme Earth environments and enable space exploration in Low Earth Orbit, on the Moon, and Mars. Her passion for advancing human performance during deep space exploration missions dates back to 2009 when she designed a hotel on the lunar surface to democratize access to space to tourists. Over the years, she developed at MIT and MIT Media Lab more in-depth studies that she applied to different scenarios and award-winning competitions projects, mainly organized by international space agencies: a Space Hotel orbiting in Low Earth Orbit around Earth (NASA RASC-AL Competition 2017), a city on Mars and its generative design model (Mars City Design Competition 2017 ), a greenhouse on Mars (NASA Big Idea Challenge 2019), an ice extraction system for Mars (NASA RASC-AL Competition 2018), a Moon Village (European Space Agency), a soft robotic exoskeleton for enhancing astronaut movements and performance in microgravity and a pavilion, the Tidmarsh Living Observatory Portal (NASA TRISH), to reconnect astronauts with nature during long-duration missions. Valentina’s work has been featured, among others, in MIT News, Harvard Design Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, WIRED, Structure Magazine, IAC, IASS, CHI and AIAA proceedings, and TEDx Talks. She is Vice Chair of the ASCE Earth and Space Technical Committee (American Society of Civil Engineers), a Space Generation Advisory Council member, and a reviewer for the American Society of Civil Engineers of Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction. Tune into Computational Design: NEXT 3.0 to learn about the reach of computational design even in Space!

James Dalessandro is a computational designer located in the Boston, MA area. He is the Co-Founder and Director at Emergent Design, a design technology company focused on delivering computational solutions for complex design goals in the fields of architecture, design, and engineering.

Moritz Waldemeyer is an internationally renowned artist based in London. His work occupies diverse creative spaces, from art and product design to fashion and entertainment. In 2004, he debuted in the design world with an interactive chandelier for Swarovski and Ron Arad. Following his early collaborative work for Hussein Chalayan and Zaha Hadid, Moritz soon established himself as an independent artist. He held his first two exhibitions in 2006 and 2007 and participated in MoMA’s Design & the Elastic Mind exhibition in 2008. In 2013, his lighting product ‘My New Flame,’ developed for Ingo Maurer, was unveiled as part of MoMA’s permanent collection. Studio Moritz Waldemeyer, founded in 2004, was built on a philosophy of playful experimentation by forging links between technology, art, fashion, and design. This approach has resulted in several bespoke installations for Audi, Bombay Sapphire, and Microsoft and light-studded costumes for U2, Rihanna, and the London Olympics Handover Ceremony performers. Moritz acts as head creative in everything the studio undertakes, crafting his signature aesthetic into each piece.

ILLUSORR is the world’s first design-oriented virtual platform. Doing what has never been done before by providing an immersive experience wholly conceived, planned, and executed by creatives with ‘design’ as a priority. The aerospace, defense, gaming, movie and entertainment, healthcare, and tourism industries dominate the extended reality sector. Designers need to lead this exponential growth of VR and design the future virtual worlds. The platform ILLUSORR provides will introduce the world to the latest frontiers of design and deliver a completely immersive experience that will include fashion shows, exhibitions, showrooms, virtual stores, workshops, competitions, talks, and even concerts! It is a platform that will allow virtual gatherings and interactions, using uniquely designed avatars and moving beyond the 2D webcam configuration that has become custom.

Daniel Caven is an experimental designer and architect whose ideas are based on exploring parametric and generative design and encompassing ideas of energy, nature, and fluidity. Working in highly distinguished offices all over the United States. Daniel’s advanced skills in emerging systems and technologies have allowed him to be emergent in cutting-edge technologies and fabrication specialties through the means of 3D printing, scripting, and high-level digital technologies. Daniel has been featured/published worldwide for projects, research, animations, and competitions. In his professional career, Daniel has worked on many different high-profile projects, such as the Astana World’s Expo, the world’s first freeform 3D printed house in Chattanooga, TN, the world’s first 3D-printed office in Dubai, and finally, many different high rises and mega tall towers overseas.

Cherylene M. Shangpliang is an Architectural Designer currently working at Zaha Hadid Architects in London. She holds a Master of Architecture degree from the Architectural Association Design Research Lab (AADRL) in London under Patrik Schumacher’s research agenda, “Agent Based Parametric Semiology,” and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore, India. Before joining Zaha Hadid Architects, she gained professional working experience at the international office MAD Architects in Beijing, China.

Since her time at ZHA, Cherylene has worked on various international competition projects, developing high-end designs for building typologies, interiors, and landscape design. She has previously taught workshops utilizing Autodesk Maya as an architectural modeling tool at the Computational Design: NEXT 3.0 online conference and the Metaplay online workshops in collaboration with DEZACT London. She is passionate about communicating complex concepts in architectural design, with Autodesk Maya being her primary tool for 3d modeling. Her areas of interest lie in parametric modeling, computational design, and generative design methodologies.

Hamid Hassanzadeh is a distinguished architect, entrepreneur, researcher, and speaker. Having earned his degree in architectural engineering in 2012, Hamid has since contributed to various architectural projects across multiple regions around the globe.

In early 2016, he founded the ParametricArchitecture platform, initially launching on Instagram. Today, ParametricArchitecture, often abbreviated as PA, stands as a globally renowned hub for parametric, computational design, and AI lovers, boasting over 20 million monthly interactions on the internet. Hamid endeavors to demystify the intricacies of the parametric, computational, and AI realms through compelling articles, interviews, workshops, podcasts, and conferences disseminated across various digital platforms.

Furthermore, he’s the visionary behind PAACADEMY, an educational entity under the aegis of PA, dedicated to propagating the concepts of computational architecture and design. The PAACADEMY, as an educational platform, educates and engages with its audience, introducing them to advanced techniques and algorithms employed by architects, designers, and coders alike. He highlights exemplary projects executed using state-of-the-art design software, ensuring that his audience not only witnesses but also comprehends the depth and philosophy of these avant-garde design practices.

Moreover, as the esteemed host of the 'PA Talks' interview series, he engages in enriching conversations with architects, orchestrates numerous workshops, conferences, and events, and has had the privilege of interviewing myriad globally acclaimed architects, delving into their methodologies and foresighted visions for the architectural landscape.

Michael Pryor is a multi-faceted designer utilizing Rhino + Grasshopper, C#, Maya, ZBrush, Houdini and others. He is currently a Head of Procedural Generation at Wilder World Metaverse and the CDO of DesignMorphine. Previously he was a Computational Designer at Nike NXT on performance footwear. He has been involved in various major architectural works in the US, China, Dubai, and Lebanon. Previously, he worked at Trahan, SOMA, OLI, and [AY]A on projects ranging from museums, housing, restaurants, furniture, products, exhibits and prototypes. Michael is the author of the popular Grasshopper3d plug-in Pufferfish with over 150k downloads. He has been the tutor to workshops by the AA visiting school Paris with Louis Vuitton, 3D-Dreaming, Rese.Arch, MIT OSL, Harvard GSD, rat[LAB], PA, Meal, and DesignMorphine.