::: VISIONS: Beyond Media Exhibition in Firenze, Italia :::

Nous Gallery a London based Gallery directed by Melissa Woolford, Paul Coates and Christian Derix invited us to be part of the 9th International Festival for Architecture and Media titled "VISIONS" to be held from July 9 to 17, 2009 at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence, Italy.

Nous Gallery exhibition will include two group installations.  One will be in the form of a film showing the responses to what Architecture will be in the future.  Another is called 'Blink and you'll miss it' designed by Tom Cecil in collaboration with Phil Langely and Shajay Bhooshan.  This installation aims to address the issue of representation through digital means by using a large image library to expose certain realities of our interests in images through subconscious response.

"The theme for the 9th edition of the BEYOND MEDIA festival is "VISIONS".

It seems as if contemporary architecture lost, in the last years, its ability to pursue broad visions, to collect with a wide outlook the complex transformations of the built environment, to lead its thoughts and conscience beyond that which is usual, empirical, and visible. 

The massive production and consumption of architectural images resulted in a greater vicinity, on the part of the general public, to design issues. But, at the same time, they produced an alteration in the way people conceive architecture, and affected the ability and the opportunity to generate visions, and hence theories, which are deeply rooted in our times but, at the same time, are receptive towards new possible scenarios.

With "VISIONS", the BEYOND MEDIA festival suggests to carefully think over topics of figuration and representation, and will put forward more effective visions which might be useful in tracing the outlines of our possible future."

At the exhibition we are addressing the present questions for the future of architecture and how these will impact the field of architecture. We will soon post a short video and some images submitted for the exhibition.

Special thanks to Melissa Woolford and all the team for selecting Rethinking Architecture : Rethinking Academic Series.

::: Conferencia: Arquitectura Genética: Teatro Macedonio Alcalá, Centro Histórico Oaxaca, OAX - Genetic Architectures lecture in Oaxaca, Mexico:::

Estamos muy orgullosos de informar que el prof. Emmanuel Ruffo ha sido recientemente invitado a impartir una conferencia en el Teatro de la Ciudad de Oaxaca "Macedonio Alcalá" que está localizado en el centro de la ciudad de Oaxaca, Oaxaca en México y se llevará a cabo el próximo 26 de Junio de 2009 a partir de las 18:00hrs tiempo de México. La arq. Fátima Díaz extendió la invitación como actual coordinadora de relaciones internacionales del Colegio de Arquitectos del Estado de Oaxaca.

El tema de la conferencia es Arquitectura Genética, "Procesos lógicos y evolutivos para la Arquitectura, Computación y Diseño" Emmanuel Ruffo hablará de los siguientes temas, sin embargo la conferencia no estará restringida a ello: 

+ Genética

+ Evolución

+ Tecnologías Digitales

+ Sistemas Físicos y Naturales

+ Educación del diseño arquitectónico

+ Redes sociales y culturales

+ Técnicas Materiales

+ Ciencias computacionales

+ Sistemas responsivos y dinámicos

+ Un vistazo a la arquitectura del mañana

Los temas serán explorados desde aspectos teóricos y la filosofía de ambas firmas Rethinking Architecture : Rethinking Academic Series, incluyendo estudios puntuales dentro de las mismas, concluyendo con un pequeño vistazo de lo que consideramos sería la arquitectura del mañana.

Extendemos nuestra gratitud muy en especial a la arq. Fátima Díaz y todo el equipo del Colegio de Arquitectos así como su presidente y al director del Teatro Macedonio Alcalá a todos ellos por hacer esto posible. Muchas gracias!

Más información en: colegiodearquitectosoaxaca@yahoo.com

Calle Independencia No. 900, Centro Histórico Oaxaca de Juárez, OAX, CP 68000 México. Tel. 951 1324397 / 951 5168292 

We are delighted to public that prof. Emmanuel Ruffo has been recently invited to deliver a SOLO lecture at the Theater Macedonio Alcala located in the downtown of Oaxaca in Mexico on June 26 at 18hrs Mexico Time. The invitation was done by arch. Fatima Diaz who is currently in charge of the College of Architects of the Oaxaca State's  international relationships. 

The lecture theme is Genetic Architectures "Logic and Evolutionary processes for Architecture, Computing and Design", Emmanuel Ruffo will speak about but not be restricted to the following topics:

+ Genetics

+ Evolution

+ Digital Technologies

+ Physical and Natural Systems

+ Design Education

+ Social and Cultural Networks

+ Material Techniques

+ Computer programming

+ Dynamic and responsive systems

+ Architecture a glimpse ahead

Lecture topics' will be meet from theory and philosophy regarding both Rethinking Architecture and Rethinking Academic Series to case studies and a glimpse ahead to the evolution of Architecture.

Special thanks goes to Fatima Diaz, the College of Architects' team and its chairman, the dean of the Theater Macedonio Alcala. Thanks to all of them for making this possible!

For further information and press contact at: colegiodearquitectosoaxaca@yahoo.com

Calle Independencia No. 900, Centro Histórico Oaxaca de Juárez, OAX, CP 68000 México. Tel. 951 1324397 / 951 5168292 

:::ASCAAD Proceedings: Programming as an Evolutionary Concept for Architectural Design :::

We are very happy to announce Rethinking Academic Series is part of this year biennial proceedings issued by the University of Bahrain, Collegue of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Prof. Emmanuel Ruffo paper submission titled:"Programming as an Evolutionary Concept for Architectural Design" was selected for long paper format among 42 papers selected from a total of 78 abstract submitted from 24 countries. 

Our section submission is at the Design Education part and it is a current research that is been followed at the School of Architecture in Anahuac University in Mexico within different Architectural Design studios and Digital Medium research both held in the undergraduate program.

The paper meets information ranging from computer programming and digital technologies through material techniques, material assembling and geometry exploration to digital fabrication, dynamic systems and evolutionary information.

I would like to thank dr. Wael Abdelhaamed an assistant profesor at the Collegue of Engineering in the University of Bahrain for his support and kindness during the whole process.

::: CAAD Futures conference at Université de Montreal, Canada :::

Following an invitation by Temy Tifadi, the conference chair, Emmanuel Ruffo is part of the jury review committe of this year's CAAD Futures conference to be held from June 17 to 19, 2009 at the Université of Montreal in Canada.

The CAAD Futures conference reflects on design methodology and discusses the latest innovations in CAD technology. Most importantly, CAAD Futures is concerned with both the actual technology and the complexities of its use and adaptation in the very human practice of design. The general objectives of the Conference are to provide a forum for presentation of the latest advances in the theory of design and computation; in the reception and transformative effects of computation in design practice, in the technology, instrumentation and media linked to architecture, design, building performance and fabrication; and in design teaching and communication strategies.

The theme of “Joining languages, cultures and visions”, the Conference will add two new aspects to the already established topics of discussion: it will be multidisciplinary and bilingual. The first one is inspired and conditioned by the hosting institution: the Faculté de l’aménagement which is unique in its multidisciplinary character. It unifies disciplines such as Industrial Design, Interior Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, thus promoting exchange and cooperation between them. It provides researchers and students with an environment that is steeped in both humanist and technological modes of inquiry: the CAD Research Group (GRCAO), the Advance Modeling and Rapid Prototyping Lab (Formlab), etc.

:::The 3rd Beijing Architecture Bienniale:::

Latin-America section curator Matias del Campo head and co-founder with Sandra Manninger of SPAN (Office based in Vienna Austria) invited R[e]thinking Architecture : R[e]thinking Academic Series as part of his selection for a total of six offices in Latin-America. This section included XerifoArch, PATTERNS, SUBdV, Pablo C. Herrera and SPAN. I am including some photographs from the opening ceremony, cover and index from the publication and some pictures from our entry.

(Im)material Processes: New Digital Techniques for Architecture: "Code, it would seem, is everywhere. We are beginning to understand that much of our natural environment is based on rule-based behaviors, from the emergent swarm intelligence of flocks of birds and schools of fish, to the complex patterns of snow flakes, ferns, sea shells and zebra skins. And nothing escapes. Not even the human body. The human genome is being mapped out and sequenced by scientist to provide a genetic blueprint of human life itself."[1].

R[e]thinking Architecture : R[e]thinking Academic Series work lies at the intersection of continuos information between computer science, through structural geometry and parametric design, to complex modelling, digital fabrication, material intelligence, evolutionary computation, physical computing and real-time interactivity. 

I want to extend my gratitude to Matias del Campo, Neil Leach and Xu Weiguo for the invitation and their enormous effort for making it happen!

http://abbeijing-emarch.com/

1. Leach, N., (Im)material Processes : New Digital Techniques for Architecture, China Architecture & Building Press, China 2008, 274 (a short extract from the introduction, p-7), ISBN 978-7-112-10395-9.

::: CEFAD : Intelligent Algorithms for Architecture, Computing and Design :::

CEFAD is the Formative Centre for Academic Teaching at the Universidad Anahuac. CEFAD was founded in 1988 with the scope for academic teachers and researchers to aim an educative development and humaneness. By late last year (2008) CEFAD opened a competition for teachers and researchers from Universidad Anahuac to write an essay or an article related to their applied research, teaching interests and/or work. R[e]thinking Academic Series was one of the selected participants in CEFAD book a 20 years collection of Academic Research and Teaching experiences. Our paper was focused in Logic and Evolutionary processes for Architecture , Computing and Design and it was titled "Intelligent Algorithms for Architectural Design".

Regarding the taught workshop I explain you a bit more: during the summer last year we were invited by Bernardo Gomez Pimienta (dean of Escuela de Arquitectura - Universidad Anahuac) and prof. Enrique Etchegarray (Architectural Projects Coordinator at the Escuela de Arquitectura) to teach a summer workshop related to Digital Medium and Fabrication Technologies.

It was not easy at all to begin this particular workshop, due to students in Mexico are not quite related to advanced technologies for design or automatization processes, so the workshop started with a couple of seminars. The first one was focused on explaining the theory at CAD (Computer Aided Design), CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) and CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) systems and data driven productions and the second one was focused in Programming Languages. From then on, we all concentrated in a couple of paradigms :

a) Digital Technologies - geometric exploration through programming languages

b) Material Techniques - material experimentation and exploration

In order for the students to understand and see the potentialities of that specific way of design I did invite different architects and professors from such as different environments. For a previous stage before the final deadline, Gerardo Broissin from Broissin Architects, Jose Munoz from SOM New York participated during the jury review. 

For the deadline I decided to invite architects and professors engaged with these kind of technologies and some that were not. Deadline jury reviewers was composed by:

a) MArch. Prof. Enrique Etchegaray 

b) Gerardo Broissin (Broissin Architects)

c) Carlos Bedoya y Wonne Ickx (Productora)

d) MArch. Prof. Armando Reyes

e) EmTech MArch. Pablo Kobayashi

f) Marcos Betanzos (Obras Magazine) a very special invited jury

Also in both of the sessions we got the opportunity to collaborate with Fabian Del Valle and Luis Echegaray from RadioArquitectura. It was an amazing experience not only for the students engaged with the program but else for all of us engaged with Architecture and Academic Research.

Through this medium I want to thank to Bernardo and Enrique to make this happen, to all the students for their hard endeavor and patience and finally to all the jury and RadioArquitecture for their constant support.

:::R[e]thinking Architecture : Emmanuel Ruffo selected as one of the top 10 most promising firms in Mexico City:::

I was particularly very happy with the recent selection by Obras a Time inc magazine. They selected R[e]thinking Architecture and R[e]thinking Academic Series as one of the top ten most promising young architectural firms in Mexico City. 

Specially I would like to thank very much to Marcos Betanzos who was the editor of the article, Alain Prieto (Architecture and Construction main editor) and Pamela Barron (layout and photo editor). All of them worked very hard in order to get a very nice and beautiful layout for the whole edition of the magazine.

Besides to that I would like to extend my gratitude to Dimitri Pozzi and Ivan Spechenhauser for the amazing exposure at the main photograph. Dimitri´s idea was to get stars and nature and just me and the bubble (Obras concept) was both amazing and freezing... and at the very end was an wonderful concept and photograph.

Finally I would like to extend my congratulations to all the selected firms and friends :

[1] AS/D

[2] Gerardo Velazquez

[3] Juan Jose Martinez

[4] Arquitectura AG

[5] Buro e+i

[6] usoarquitectura

[7] Life in Design

[8] Anonimous-LED

[9] Mauricio Mireles

The very best to all of them in their future endeavors. Here the link for the article.

http://www.cnnexpansion.com/obras/2009/01/09/constante-evolucion

::: ENTREMUROS : REFORMA NEWSPAPER :::

Emmanuel Ruffo was featured in Entremuros : Reforma Newspaper. The article written by MArch. Arturo Escobar describes quite well the inspiration of both research lines R[e]thinking Architecture and R[e]thinking Academic Series. The article presents investigations related to the practice of Architecture by using EC [Evolutionary Computation] and in the academic field. In this latter field we presented work from the very last workshop run at the Escuela de Arquitectura in the Universidad Anahuac in Mexico. Some of the research teams investigations featured in the article are: 

a) Omkrets Systems by David Levy and Isaac Maya

b) Grid 4da by Maripaz Coto, Jose Semah, Raymond Rophie and Ari Nestel

c) Alberto Romero

d) Marianela Quinzaños, Manuel David and Dany David

Special thanks to MArch. Arturo Escobar and all the Entremuros team for the really nice article and layout design.

::: HABITAT : MAGAZINE :::

Emmanuel Ruffo issued on the Habitat Magazine. Habitat Magazine recognized him as one of the mexican talents who are currently working overseas.

I will soon post more information related to the interesting conversation we held with Habitat magazine.

Here the article in Spanish.