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/
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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