Mahesh Daas, Ed.D.

Architecture and Design Australia News covers our new book Towards A Robotic Architecture:

http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/robotics-to-be-the-future-of-architectural-design

 

http://news.ku.edu/2018/01/25/brave-new-world-robotic-architecture-dawning

Honored to give the keynote talk “An Inconvenient Education for an Uncertain Future” at North Dakota State University’s NDSU Explore undergraduate research symposium on November 1, 2017.

The social, demographic, economic, technological and existential context for higher education has changed significantly in the last 50 years. Old paradigms of undergraduate education rooted in the notions of stable career paths in a predictable world are giving way to new paradigms geared for an uncertain future. Daas will detail select organizational and educational models of experiential/design pedagogy and research that engage undergraduate students in knowledge creation, entrepreneurship and leadership aimed at developing self-actualized individuals who can innovate under conditions of uncertainty.

 

I am thrilled to share with you the cover design and a poster celebrating the pioneering contributors to the forthcoming book Towards A Robotic Architecture that I have co-edited with Andrew John Wit. We were fortunate to have collaborated with graphic designer, Professor Nagesh Shinde to produce an absolutely stunning, provocative, poetic book that is a visual and tactile delight!

In this book, we attempt to show not only the terrestrial impact of architectural robotics, but also the interplanetary impact it is bound to have. Currently there is no one book in the field that provides a comprehensive overview of architectural robotics, a void this book intends to fill. With these intentions and motivations in mind, we have organized the contents into four sections that follow four distinct themes: Framing Architectural Robotics, Robotectonics, Robotic Architectures and Robotic Futures.

Six universities in five cities in China and South Korea have established productive relationships and potential joint degree programs.

Tongji University, Shanghai; Nanjing Technological University, Nanjing; South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou; Chang’an University, Xi’an; Chung Ang University, Seoul; and Incheon National University, Incheon are vibrant places enthusiastic about pursuing academic collaborations.

I have had the pleasure of being a commencement speaker at Nanjing Technological University, and delivering a talk in Guangzhou.

I have also enjoyed visiting Yushan village near Xi’an, where architect Ma Quingyun and the American Academy of China have undertaken village development work where KU could participate.

In India we are exploring two partnerships: Mysore University and the School of Planning and Architecture in Vijayawada

Here are some snippets from my visits:

Harper, D. J. (2017). Leading with aesthetics: The transformational leadership of charles M. vest at MIT. Planning for Higher Education, 45(2) Jan/Mar 2017, 118-119. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1894907678?accountid=14556

https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1577

Leading with Aesthetics The Transformational Leadership of Charles M. Vest at MIT by Mahesh Daas Lexington Books 2015 171 pages Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4985-0249-8

IN AN ERA OF DRASTICALLY SHIFTING PARADIGMS for institutions of postsecondary education, Mahesh Daas offers a novel approach to leadership: leading with aesthetics. At once both a text on leadership theory and a quasi-presidential biography, this book redefines the traditional understanding of aesthetics from a philosophical appreciation of beauty to an integral component of institutional reform, campus planning, and optimistic thinking. A narrative highlighting the second-longest-serving president of MIT, Charles M. Vest, Leading with Aesthetics offers insight into Vest’s ability to push beyond transactional leadership (Birnbaum 1992) into the realm of transformational leadership. Sprinkling his work with a collection of quotes from those who worked closely with Vest as well as Vest himself, Daas helps the reader track the 14-year presidency that changed not only the visuals of the MIT campus but also the spirit and character of a community.

Tempting the reader with a cover that features the controversial architecture of Frank Gehry, this work begins with a quick review of leadership theory paired with a brief lesson on leadership’s ties to Vitruvian principles of architecture in Part I. Daas launches into the discussion and discovery of how leaders can leverage a refined definition of aesthetics as part of an overall transformational leadership strategy by starting with his central theme: aesthetics are “foundational to our experience as human beings and essential to how we encounter the world in a way that defines our identity and affirms our existence” (p. 2). It is with this definition that Daas is able to construct his story of the MIT experience during Vest’s tenure.

At the conclusion of Part I, Daas has set the stage for the more engaging Part II. Moving from a campus nicknamed the “Gray Factory” to one that would garner world recognition for its “starchitecture,” Vest’s legacy lies not only in the buildings he successfully erected but also in the transformational leadership he mastered in steering MIT into the 21st century. So evocative were the changes to the MIT campus under Vest’s leadership that it sparked John Silber (2007), past president of Boston University, to pen his own response, Architecture of the Absurd: How “Genius” Disfigured a Practical Art, a critique of contemporary architecture and what Silber saw as the drift from practical applications of architecture in favor of the absurd.

Why focus on aesthetics and specifically the architecture of a campus for his investigation of leadership? Daas cites the research of numerous earlier studies in creating his own foundation (Broadbent, Bunt, and Jencks 1980; Eco 1979; Giedion 1967; Jencks 1991; Preziosi 1979; Rykwert 1982; Strati 1999c, 2010) and concludes, “the architecture of an organization is a fundamental organizational artifact that provides the most tangible, spatial, and material continuity for an organization’s mission, identity, and meaning” (p. 5).

As a reader, Daas’s discussion of leading with aesthetics left me wanting a stronger and more applicable operational definition of aesthetic leadership and yearning for more images of the MIT campus, particularly ones rendered in color to counter the impression of the Gray Factory nickname. At the same time, anyone who has had to rally financial or emotional support for the physical campus will be spirited by the narration of Vest’s approach to assembling a leadership team and struggling with donors, alumni, and community alike. Without proclaiming the success or failure of Vest and his endeavors, Daas concludes, “as the single largest investment and asset for any institution, the physical plant and architecture encompass all aspects and all stakeholders of an institution, which presents a president with an opportunity-if understood well-to advance the institution’s mission and evolve institutional identity through enduring change” (p. 135).

 

Engaging, timely, and energizing discussion about doctoral education in architecture. Pleased to share the panel with Branko Kolarevic at the ACSA International Conference Administrators’ Track. Great setting at the School of Architecture at the Catholic University of Chile.

Honored to meet President Jose José Antonio Guzmán C. & cabinet members and prominent Chilean architects at Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago. Great discussion, gorgeous campus and a great institution!

I was honored to deliver a talk and participate in a presidential colloquium at the Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile.

Full online article is here.

 

Link to video here.

On March 16, 2015, I have had the privilege of interviewing Thom Mayne of Morphosis for an hour that was taped in Ball State’s TV studio to be broadcast in about two weeks. It was delightful, insightful, and touches upon his origins, childhood, formative years, and how they relate to his creative work. He was very generous and open, and kept saying how insightful it has been for him to gain a new understanding of himself in relation to his work. While he has given hundreds of interviews, this is the first time he talked about his personal life and times he spent growing up in Gary, and Tipton, Indiana and beyond. The recording will, hopefully, become a valuable resource to understand Thom Mayne’s extraordinary career, life, and contributions to architecture, design, and urbanism. (Photo credit: Chris Helms, BSU, and Don Rogers, BSU_PhotoServices)

        

Will be part of the panel discussion at North Dakota State University’s symposium on the Future of Design Education on March 26 and 27, 2014.

Excerpt from the symposium web site:

To expand critical dialogue on design education, engaging the public, academia, and practice, the Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture will host a symposium addressing “the future of design education,” featuring panel discussions and open forums between diverse participants of strong national, regional, and local reputation in design fields.

The symposium is proposed to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Department, and in this context, will provide an opportunity for participants to critically reflect on the trajectory of design education over a considerable time period, even as they speculate about future directions.

“Towards a Taxonomy of Architectural Robotics” was published in the proceedings of Sociedad Iberoamericana Grafica Digital (SIGRADI) 2014 Conference, Montevideo, Uruguay, 2014.

 

 

With Andrew Wit, Caylon Beville, Shannon Buchanan, and Adam Dally, “Urban Network,” Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) conference, Los Angeles, 23-26 October, 2014. Design pedagogy.

On January 9, 2014, I sat with Roy Eggink, the Chief Engineer of Boeing 747-8 program and Professor Harry Eggink of Ball State’s Architecture Department about a collaborative initiative between Boeing and Ball State. A short version of the conversation could be found here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture   MEDIA CONTACTS: Gregory Luhan, 2013 ACADIA Awards of Excellence Chair, 859-492-5942, gregory.luhan@uky.eduDavid Celento, 2013 ACADIA Media Relations, dcelento@gmail.comFOR RELEASEACADIA Announces 2013 Awards of ExcellenceLEXINGTON, Ky. (October 8, 2013) – The Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) Awards Committee releasedthe names of the 2013 Award of Excellence Recipients. This year’s awardees will be honored on 24-26 October 2013 as part of the ACADIA 2013 ADAPTIVE ARCHITECTURE International Conference (http://2013.acadia.org/home.html) at the University of Waterloo in cooperation with the University at Buffalo, SUNY and the University of Nottingham.   Inaugurated in 1998, the ACADIA Award of Excellence represents recognition, by colleagues worldwide, of consistent contributions and impact upon the field of architectural computing.

The ACADIA Award of Excellence categories include: Digital Practice that recognizes creative design work that advances the discipline of architecture through development and use of digital media; Innovative Research that recognizes innovative research that contributes to the field of digital design in architecture; Innovative Academic Program that recognizes an innovative academic program that contributes to the education of students in the field of digital design; Teaching Excellence that recognizes innovative teaching in the field of digital architecture; and the Society Award that recognizes extraordinary contributions and service to the ACADIA community.  

The 2013 ACADIA AWARD OF EXCELLENCE awardees are:   Excellence in Digital Practice – Cecil Balmond, Balmond Studio Balmond Studio is a research-led practice of architects, designers, artists and theoreticians run by one of the world’s leading thinkers on form and structure Cecil Balmond. With offices in London, U.K. and Colombo, Sri Lanka, Balmond Studio has a global reach and fast growing presence in the fields of architecture, art, design and theory. In addition to full architectural and consulting services including project management and cost consultancy, the studio is committed to offering multi-faceted experiences through installations, exhibitions, interior design, art projects and publications. Blurring the boundaries between art and structure, Balmond has also been highly influential in a raft of renowned projects including the CCTV Tower with Rem Koolhaas and Serpentine Pavilions, with architects Toyo Ito, Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura. http://balmondstudio.com

Innovative Academic Program – AADRL – Brett Steele and Theodore Spyropoulos of the Architectural Association (London) The DRL at the AA in London is one of the world’s most international graduate design programs. The DRL is a studio-based design course teaching advanced architectural design. Each year it attracts talented architects from around the world, who come to the course to attain further post-graduate education in advanced architectural design and the relationship of architectural design to contemporary urbanism and urban settings, through the making of innovative architectural design projects. The course was founded 1997 by Brett Steele, now director of the AA and Patrik Schumacher, partner at Zaha Hadid Architects. It is currently led by Theodore Spyropoulos who has served as a co-director from 2005-2009 and as the DRL’s sole director from 2009-present. Since its inception the course has maintained its unique team-based approach to design and continues to build upon its innovative teaching framework in the fields of computation, material behavior, generative design, fabrication, prototyping and urban development. http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/aadrl/Teaching Excellence – Greg Lynn UCLA, Greg Lynn FORM Greg Lynn is an innovator who continues to pioneer the fabrication and manufacture of complex functional and ergonomic forms using CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machinery. The buildings, projects, publications, teachings, and writings associated with his office have been influential in the acceptance and use of advanced materials and technologies for design and fabrication. He is the Davenport Visiting Professor at Yale University and a Studio Professor at UCLA’s school of Architecture and Urban Design where he is currently spearheading the development of an experimental research robotics lab. His teaching has spanned nearly two decades of highly innovative teaching at a number of schools worldwide, including Columbia University, ETH in Zurich, UCLA, Yale, and Angewande in Vienna. http://glform.com/http://www.aud.ucla.edu/faculty/
greg_lynn_13.html

Innovative Research – Elena Manferdini, Atelier Manferdini Atelier Manferdini is an interdisciplinary design firm that has been long advocate of design excellence that blurs the boundaries between imaginative architecture and product design. Her creative research work that uses the potentialities offered by digital tools and media to innovate the design approach in different fields and at different scales of complexities; for her ability in sharing the results of her researches in the international debate about the innovative use of digital approach in design; – for her ability in turning the results of her researches in real practice and reinforce the consistency of her work both in the theoretical field and in the empirical one. www.ateliermanferdini.com

Society Award – Mahesh Daas, Ball State University Mahesh Daas is the Chairperson of the Department of Architecture and Irving Distinguished Professor of Architecture at Ball State University. He is a recognized academic leader and the ACSA Distinguished Professor of Architecture. Dr. Daas has served as the Emerging Media Fellow of the university’s Center for Media Design from 2008-2011 and his current research spans leadership studies, higher education innovation, pedagogy and design computing. He is also a scholar of organizational behavior, organizational aesthetics and psychodynamics of organizations and leadership. ACADIA (Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture) has elected Dr. Daas twice as its President and he continues to serve as a consistent mentor and critical voice within the ACADIA Organization for many years. http://www.mahesh.org### ACADIA (The Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture) is an international network of digital design researchers and professionals. We facilitate critical investigations into the role of computation in architecture, planning, and building science, encouraging innovation in design creativity, sustainability, and education. Membership is open to educators, students, professionals and academic libraries with an interest in computer-aided design. ACADIA has members from all over the world, including members from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim. Visit acadia.org to access today’s news, in addition to archived news stories and announcements. acadia

acadia.org

Conversations: Up Close and Personal Series of Dialogs about Leadership #4, featuring Juan Miro

Juan Miró, FAIA, DPACSA, was born in Barcelona and obtained his professional degree at the Escuela de Arquitectura of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. In 1989 he earned a Fulbright Scholarship to complete a post-professional Master’s degree at Yale University. He has been a licensed architect in Spain since 1988 and is a registered architect in the states of Texas, New York and Utah. Juan Miró is an active member of the American Institute of Architects and has served as a juror for several AIA design award competitions at the national, state, and local levels. He was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2011, and to the ACSA College of Distinguished Professors in 2012. Prior to forming Miró Rivera Architects, Juan Miró worked in Spain with his father Antonio Miró on a wide range of projects and at Gwathmey Siegel and Associates in New York City from 1991-1996. His web site is: http://mirorivera.com/.

Video: Conversations with Juan Miro

A Shorter Version of the Video:

 

“Memos From An Inconvenient Studio” Interior Architecture and Product Design Distinguished Lecture delivered on January 25, 2013 at Kansas State University. Photos courtesy Kansas State University Photo Services.

Photos courtesy UX-India Conference and Usability Matters

The conference took place February 26-28, 2012 at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, India

See a report on Irish Higher Education completion rates.

Also see a summary of the summit.

 

Elected to the editorial board of IJAC (#3 ranked publication in the field of architecture) through the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA). Will serve a two-year term from January 2013 to December 2014.

The International Journal of Architectural Computing (IJAC) is a peer-reviewed journal founded by international organizations dedicated to promoting collaborative research and development of computer-aided architectural design. IJAC is committed to deepening the understanding of the foundations of digital systems for architectural design and the technologies enabling their development and application.

There are four issues of IJAC per year: published in both electronic and hard copies. Successively, one issue each year is supervised by Editorial Board members from its four founding organizations:

eCAADe Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe

ACADIA Association of Computer Aided Design in Architecture

SIGraDi Sociedad Iberoamericana de Grafica Digital

CAADRIA Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia

The Journal is also strongly supported by the CAADFutures Foundation and the Foundation also contributes to the editorial arrangements for IJAC.

The journal features high-quality, original research papers (including state-of-the-art reviews), brief papers, and letters in all theoretical and technological areas that make up the field of Architectural Computing. Certain issues will have contemporary themes.

(Source: http://www.multi-science.co.uk/ijac.htm)

NSF Workshop on Research in Materials and Manufacturing for Extreme Affordability has successfully concluded on March 19, 2011. A book has been published in March, 2012 The workshop has been live streamed and archived. Please visit the website for a link to video.

 

The video “Woven Topographies” wins honorable mention in the ACSA Archive 100 Event Space competition. The video depicts the collaboration between “The Unclass” that I taught in fall 2011 and two artists. The video was made by Ball State’s teleplex.

 

ACSA College of Distinguished Professors web site.

Press release from Ball State University.

A medallion and certificate were presented by the president of ACSA at a special Career Awards Ceremony during the 100th ACSA annual meeting in Boston this year. Recipients become members of the College of Distinguished Professors of Architecture and may use the title ACSA Distinguished Professor, DPACSA in perpetuity.