Pressing Matters – serie

Pressing Matters VI is an exciting compilation of design and research performed at PennDesign's Department of Architecture. It features recent work by students, news, important symposia and lectures, and is printed on recycled paper with non-toxic inks.To summarise, the goal is to be at the forefront of advanced research and design by creating an advanced research institute that focuses on new design methodologies and future manufacturing through the interlinked intelligence of digital design, scripting and robotics. The focus is also on social awareness and responsibility, and being a think-tank for critical exchanges and advanced debates within and across disciplinary boundaries. The aim is to be a connective device, inviting experts for ongoing lectures and publications in order to engage a growing international audience and create an increasing network of experts.

Pressing Matters is an exciting design and research compilation from PennDesign's Department of Architecture, featuring recent student work, news, important symposia and lectures. Society faces many challenges: global warming and environmental change, pollution and waste, transition to new energy and resource economies, the redistribution and reorganisation of political and economic power worldwide; globalisation of the construction and development industries, population growth, shrinkage and migration; urban intensification and attrition; privatisation of public sector activities; and the transformation of cultural identities and social institutions. We seek to bring the expansion of expertise and creativity in architecture to bear on these challenges with a goal to be at the forefront of advanced research and design by creating an advanced research institute that focuses on new design methodologies and future manufacturing through the interlinked intelligence of digital design, scripting and robotics. Printed on recycled paper with non-toxic inks, Pressing Matters focuses on social awareness and responsibility, and endeavours to be a think-tank for critical exchange and advanced debate within and across disciplinary boundaries. We are a connective device linking invited experts for ongoing lectures and publications to a growing international audience and an increasing network of experts.

This year Pressing Matters 9 was completely rethought; the aim was to present an Open Source publication that shares the Department of Architecture’s concept of design research, an integral approach of critical thinking, rigorous research, and a deep understanding of the complex layers of architecture. Together with Jonathan Jackson of the renowned design Studio WSDIA in NYC, a more integral design was developed, allowing input from research [ARI labs], students, faculty and Penn’s special events. The content and layout focus on an indepth representation on how in recent years we have integrated expertise and content from our courses into our Design Studio’s. Pressing Matters is an annual design and research compilation from the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, showcasing student work, faculty research, and innovations in pedagogy. The Department launched the one year MSDRAS program this year, directed by Assistant Professor Robert Stuart Smith. The Master of Science in Design: Robotics and Autonomous Systems aims to critically develop novel approaches to the design, manufacturing, construction, use, and lifecycle of architecture through creative engagement with robotics, material systems, and design computation. Students will develop skills in advanced forms of robotic fabrication, simulation, and artificial intelligence, in order to develop methods for design that harness production or live adaptation as a creative opportunity. This is an excellent addition to the existing MSD programs: the MSDEBD directed by Professor Bill Braham and the MSDAAD directed by Professor Ali Rahim, all presented in Pressing Matters 9.

Number 11 in the series, this book takes a look back at the academic year 2021-2022 in the Architecture Department of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. Summer term welcomes incoming students who do not have a background or degree in architecture and brings them up to speed with Digital Workshops, where they acquire digital design skill sets that are integral to a contemporary approach to design as they enter their first year in graduate school. From there, they will learn how to produce analog materials, such as drawings and models, and then take a summer studio where they will study a site and begin to design a building for that site.This book showcases the three levels of our MArch Program – 500, 600, & 700 – of select students’ work in each of the faculty’s studio sections in both fall and spring. Included are descriptions of the various courses and electives on offer. Also highlighted are various events, such as lectures, book launches, and conferences which took place over the two semesters. There are multiple distinct programs in which students can earn a post-professional degree. The MSD-AAD (Advanced Architectural Design), MSD-EBD (Environmental Building Design), MSD-RAS (Robotics and Autonomous Systems), PhD, and IPD (Integrated Product Design) all have examples of students’ work and original designs.