:::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.

:::Final Presentation : Material Research for Housing and Urban Environment at ITESM - CEM (Department of Architecture and Industrial Engineering:::)

(parametric model designed and developed by Arline Osorio + Victor Martinez at the ITESM-CEM Architectural Projects II directed by Prof. Ivy Ordonez and Prof. Emmanuel Ruffo)

After a very hard semester (in terms of cognitive processes for design based in new methodologies) taught at the Department of Architecture and Industrial Engineering in the ITESM - CEM, researchers will present their projects for final review on Tuesday the 20th from 9:00 am to 12:00pm at the Department of Architecture room 1205 . 

Material Research for Housing and Urban Network was the title for this Architectural Projects' subject. Researchers explored different phenomena in terms of material properties. As they didn't have any previous knowledge of complex geometries, parametric design or digital technologies they were asked to investigate how to use material properties as responsive systems . Embedded design and integral design are the core idea for generating their parametric models. Material, structure and function are the elements they needed in order to embed and create a system whose emergent capacities will be reflected within the generated forms. Complex capacities emerge in order to adapt, perform different environment, understand and respond logically to different extrinsically and intrinsically necessities.

I want to thank Rocio Hernandez Larriba who is the Dean of the Department of Architecture for invited me to teach along with Gerardo Recoder. I would like to thank Manuel Portillo (Dean of the Department of Architecture and Industrial Engineering). Moreover I would like to thank very very much to Prof. Ivy Ordoñez who was directing this academic research line with myself together. I am very happy specially because Ivy and I do very different things but we understood each other very well and adapted the best we could with the best we had.

I also would like to extend my special gratitude to the researchers for their amazing projects and overall patience during the whole course. 

Finally I would like to thank the members of the jury:

a) PhD Manuel Portillo

b) MArch Rocio Hernandez Larriba

c) MArch Paola Morales / AS/D

d) MArch Fernando Velasco / AS/D

e) MArch Prof.Cuitlahuac Arechiga 

f) MArch Prof. Ivy Ordoñez

Thank you all very much for making this happen! I look forward to their final presentations.

:::R[e]thinking Academic Series goes to CEDIM in Monterrey:::

Following an invitation by Vange Tamez (Architecture and Interior Design Coordinator) from CEDIM University in Monterrey I will be leading a summer workshop focused on "Geometric Exploration". This will be held on early June 2009.

For more information related to the workshop please visit the following link:

http://www.cedim.com.mx/summerStars.html

::: 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 Academic Series in Mexico [Universidad Anahuac & ITESM-CEM] :::

Hello there! It has been a while with no blog writing... but I´m back with new and upgrade material regarding both R[e]thinking Architecture and R[e]thinking Academic Series. Currently I am teaching in different undergraduate programs in Mexico City and overseas.

We are exploring different research situations depending on students' profile. For example in the Escuela de Arquitectura Universidad Anahuac we are exploring Physical and Natural systems in order to generate material structures as an integral concept to design. There is no form or function following one to the other but an integral embedded design between material, form and function. At the genotype level there is a correlation between geometry, component and material rules. On the other hand, at the phenotype level, the rules from genotype variation become transformational objects in the physical environment.

Also in Anahuac University we are exploring CA cellular automata models. A cellular automata is an evolutionary system based in mathematical models. Very simple rules, similar to those encapsulated in the Game of Life designed by John Conway, act as the main framework of the undergraduate studio titled "Digital Medium and Fabrication Technologies".

Another undergraduate studio in which we all are pushing forward our design criteria and mental capacities is the one taught at the Department of Architecture and Industrial Engineering ITESM - CEM. Here researchers are investigating the main relationships between material, material techniques, material assembling and these relationships when interfacing with a physical environment.

::: 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.