In recent years, the field of architecture has encountered some big issues — from city to climate change, to a troubled economy and the implosion of the real estate market, to controversial trends in technology and design.
This year, the Hearst Lecture Series hosted by the College of Architecture and Environmental Design focuses on the issue of integrated design practices.
The five-lecture series will explore the integration between the digital and the physical, said series director and assistant professor of architecture Mark Cabrinha.
The series, which began on Jan. 15 and will run until Feb. 26, will bring in national experts from across the United States to discuss integrated design.
With the increased need for technology from the 1990s to today, the relationship between conception and execution has been severed through the separation of means and methods, Cabrinha said.
“Consequently, software is seen as the culprit or the solution rather than the question at hand,” he said.
Architecture students generally agree with Cabrinha’s view on integrated design.
“I feel integrated design is important because digital tools aid in the prefabrication,” architecture junior Nathan Kiatkulpiboone said. “Nowadays, it’s not simply the idea or design that is important but also how accessible it is and how does it affect the environment. If we can improve manufacturing practices, we can provide a product that promotes efficiency.”
The first lecturer to address these issues was Benjamin Ball. Ball is a partner in the Los Angeles-based integrated design and fabrication practice Ball-Nogues Studio.
Kiatkulpiboone found Ball’s speech interesting based on the importance Ball placed on the integration of factory development and design production.
“His designs began as sketches that were digitally translated into shapes and parts,” Kiatkulpiboone said. “Once the digital work was completed, designs were taken to a fabricator who made every piece. Because all of this was planned in advance, construction time was only a few hours.”
The last lecture featured architect Michael Hughes. Hughes is an associate professor of architecture at the University of Arkansas. He believes in the importance of grounding design education in hands-on experience. Hughes has won numerous state and regional design awards and is currently working on an outdoor classroom for a local elementary school.
The free public lectures are made possible through a grant from the Hearst Foundation series, Cabrinha said.
“There was a time when only local people could come without funding,” he said.
Students agree on the importance of the lecture series, now in its fifth year, as an additional component to their studio time.
“The Hearst Lecture series, in my opinion, is one of the greatest parts of Cal Poly’s architecture program,” architecture senior Nema Ashjay said. “Having professionals come in to speak to us establishes a strong connection between education and the industry we plan to be a part of. We have a chance to see the type of work we do in our studios be actually realized.”