The spatial applications of computation and data permeate all aspects of daily life, from our homes to our cities, transforming the ways we live, work, move, and interact. Advances in information, manufacturing, and material technologies are fueling new modes of making and thinking about designed environments, both physical and virtual. While emerging technologies have increased social connectivity and introduced new forms of collectivity, they have also empowered institutional systems to implement discriminatory and extractive practices. How can the disciplines of the built environment harness these emerging technologies to design creatively, equitably, and sustainably, while also interrogating and actively confronting their pitfalls?
This webpage features a collection of resources on GSAPP’s ongoing work on Data & Design. This list will continue to be updated. If you have suggestions or comments, please contact communications@arch.columbia.edu.
January 28, 2021
Presentations by Ada Tolla, LOT-EK and Columbia GSAPP Faculty; Ben Busche, Brut Deluxe; Carlo Ratti, Carlo Ratti Associati; and Ronnie Markussen, Human Habitat. Moderated by Rebecca Macklis, Senior Urban Design Manager, NYC Public Design Commission and Laurie Hawkinson, Professor of Architecture, Columbia GSAPP; Partner, Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects; Commissioner, NYC Public Design Commission.
September 6, 2019
What is the potential impact of maker culture on manufacturing, technology, and construction ecologies in each of these cities? Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Naeem Biviji, Thabisa Mjo, and DK Osseo-Asare, in conversation with Mpho Matsipa and introduced by Josh Jordan. Organized in collaboration with Mpho Matsipa, School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Listen to DK Osseo-Asare and Naeem Biviji in Podcast episode #74
April 12, 2019
As strands of artificial intelligence increasingly touch almost all fields, how do they impact architecture and the built environment? A conversation among Julie Dorsey, Natasha Luthra, and Douwe Osinga, moderated by David Benjamin.
April 4, 2019
This event features talks by Brian House, who discusses his design of a platform to collect geographic data through mobile devices, and by Jia Zhang, who presents her design of an interactive atlas that bridges large public datasets and everyday experiences of urban space. Followed by a conversation among Laura Kurgan, Shannon Mattern, Bill Rankin, and Jer Thorp. Organized by the Center for Spatial Research.
February 1, 2019
What architectural language has yet to be created by a new form of “projection”? A conversation among immersive director, writer, and theorist Jessica Brillhart; computer scientist Steve Feiner; designer and filmmaker Keiichi Matsuda; and author Frank Rose; moderated by Lindsey Wikstrom.
September 14, 2018
A conversation among artists and designers on their intertwined material choices and conceptual interests. Presentations by E.V. Day, Marc Ganzglass, Sarah Oppenheimer, and Allan Wexler followed by a conversation moderated by Josh Jordan, Ada Tolla, and Giuseppe Lignano.
February 16, 2018
This conference addresses how the fields of Visual Studies and Technology have merged in pedagogy and in practice at GSAPP. Catalyzed by accelerations, with constantly updated versions of digital technology, this expanded terrain has become an opportunity for GSAPP to reimagine its relationship to the built environment and to the design process. Organized by Laura Kurgan and Craig Schwitter.
Listen to Laura Kurgan in Podcast episode #24
January 26, 2018
Presentations on emerging approaches to design and fabrication by Arielle Assouline-Lichten, Wendy W Fok, Ryan Luke Johns, Josh Jordan, Madison Maxey, and Wes Rozen. By bringing these creative practitioners together, and in conversation with the GSAPP Fabrication Lab, the event aims to plot a local geography of innovative fabrication in New York City.
September 15, 2017
Writer and urbanist Adam Greenfield in conversation with Laura Kurgan on the relationship between humans and the networked objects, services, and spaces that define their lives, as well as the Silicon Valley consensus that is determining the shape of our future. Presented by the Center for Spatial Research.
January 27, 2017
This discussion focuses on current modes of architectural storytelling from social media to photography and filmmaking, digital visualization to immersive experience, and VR. Presentations by Rama Allen, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, James Ewing, and Ziv Schneider, followed by a conversation moderated by Cassim Shepard.
October 28, 2016
This discussion explores how the overlaps among architectural technology, fabrication, and engineering redefine a multidisciplinary space for design. A conversation among John Cerone, Ben Gilmartin, and Thorsten Helbig, moderated by Craig Schwitter.
October 7, 2016
Eyal Weizman and Enrico Bertini participate in a roundtable with members of the Center for Spatial Research (CSR) including Laura Kurgan, Juan Francisco Saldarriaga, Grga Basic, Dare Brawley, Violet Whitney, and Michael Storm. The discussion focuses on the CSR project “Conflict Urbanism: Aleppo,” an interactive web-based map representing the intensifying violence in urban Aleppo after five years of civil war in Syria. Co-Organized by the Center for Spatial Research.
September 16, 2016
This event focuses on the role of research and its different methodologies in a range of creative practices. A conversation among Amale Andraos, Kadambari Baxi, Giovanna Borasi, Matthew Buckingham, Michael Meredith, and Nader Tehrani.
September 9, 2016
While technology proliferates and becomes ever-more democratized, the expectation of technological expertise expands and speciates into new roles for makers. A conversation among Billie Faircloth, Mariana Ibañez, and Quayola, moderated by Josh Jordan.
October 9, 2015
How might the current wave of incubator spaces and co-working communities impact architecture and urban development? Presentations from Daniel Doctoroff and Vishaan Chakrabarti followed by a discussion about entrepreneurship, technology, and the city with Amale Andraos and David Benjamin*.
April 11, 2022
Olalekan Jeyifous discusses his practice and process of examining both historical and contemporary socio-political, cultural, and environmental realities through the tradition of speculative architectural utopianism, from a sci-fi inspired and Afro-surrealist lens.
February 7, 2022
Founded in 1979, AAU Anastas is a Palestinian architectural and engineering practice with offices in Bethlehem and Paris. Working directly with factories and artisans enables the designers to optimize the energy consumption in function of the resources available and the ambitions.
March 22, 2021
Ekene Ijeoma is an artist, professor at MIT, and the founder and director of the Poetic Justice group at MIT Media Lab. Response by Amina Blacksher.
March 15, 2021
Nader Tehrani is Founding Principal of NADAAA, a practice dedicated to the advancement of design innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and an intensive dialogue with the construction industry. Response by Amale Andraos.
September 14, 2020
Lola Ben-Alon specializes in socially and environmentally sustainable building practices, natural building materials, and engineering-architecture collaborations. Her current work focuses on quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate the environmental and social impacts of biophilic design and natural building materials. Response by Lucia Allais.
October 7, 2019
Ginsberg discusses new work that examines connections between ecology and technology, including her projects on wilding the planet Mars and resurrecting the smell of flowers made extinct by humans. Response by David Benjamin.
Listen to Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg in Podcast episode #80
October 3, 2019
In the lecture “Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival,” Antonelli presents the potentials of restorative design in the Anthropocene and her curation of over 100 projects for the 22nd edition of the Milan Triennial. The event includes an introduction by Carol Becker and response by Amale Andraos.
September 16, 2019
LeCavalier’s lecture “Landscapes of Fulfillment,” is divided into three parts: three observations about infrastructure; ten claims about logistics; and an introduction to three projects: Public Facility: Meadowlands; Architectures of Fulfillment; and Shelf Life. Response by Kate Orff.
October 1, 2018
Kennedy and Violich deliver the lecture “Three Partial Paradigms,” a discussion of how their design practice KVA MATx explores the intersections of architecture, digital technology, and emerging public needs. Response by Christoph Kumpusch.
Listen to Sheila Kennedy and J. Frano Violich in Podcast episode #56
September 13, 2018
Davis, director of the Computational Textiles Lab (SOFTLAB), discusses her research on computational materials and textiles. The lecture examines how responsive textiles transform how we communicate, socialize and use space. Response by Laurie Hawkinson.
Listen to Felecia Davis in Podcast episode #52
April 9, 2018
Jaque delivers a lecture titled “The Politics of Transmaterial Design” and discusses recent projects by the Office for Political Innovation, based in Madrid and New York. The lecture covers work that sits at the intersection of design, research, and activism. Response by Amale Andraos.
Listen to Andrés Jaque in Podcast episode #64
February 12, 2018
Yuan, founder of Archi-Union Architects, discusses his firm’s focus on digital technology and craftsmanship. The lecture features projects that employ robotic masonry fabrication systems, computational structural design and optimization programs, and experimental material applications. Response by Christoph Kumpusch.
Bilge Kose, Spring 2021, Historic Preservation
Danil Nagy, Spring 2021, Architecture
Luc Wilson, Snoweria Zhang, Spring 2021, Architecture
Jared Friedman, Spring 2021, Architecture
Davidson Norris, Spring 2021, Architecture
Jia Zhang, Fall 2020, All programs
Peter Marcotullio and Kaz Sakamoto, Fall 2020, Urban Planning
Danil Nagy, Fall 2020, Architecture
Leah Meisterlin, Fall 2020, Urban Planning
Eric Schles, Fall 2020, Real Estate Development
Boyeong Hong, Fall 2020, Urban Planning
Fall 2020, Real Estate Development
Gabrielle Brainard and Violet Whitney, Fall 2020, Architecture and Urban Design
Dan Taeyoung, Fall 2020, Architecture
Zachary Aarons, Fall 2020, Real Estate Development
Laura Kurgan, Fall 2020, All programs
Jared Friedman, Fall 2020, Architecture
Joshua Jordan, Fall 2020, Architecture
Luc Wilson, Fall 2020, Architecture
Nitzan Bartov, Spring 2020, Visual Studies
Carlos Bayod Lucini, Fall 2019, Historic Preservation
Agnes Chang, Spring 2020, Visual Studies
Emily Furhman, Spring 2020, Visual Studies
Mimi Hoang, Spring 2020, Architecture
Boyeong Hong, Spring 2020, Urban Planning
Josh Jordan, Spring 2020, Building Science & Technology
Bilge Kose, Spring 2020, Historic Preservation
Danil Nagy, Spring 2020, Visual Studies
Bika Rebek, Spring 2020, Visual Studies
Juan Saldarriaga, Michael Krisch, Spring 2020, Visual Studies
Anthony Vanky, Spring 2020, Urban Planning
Luc Wilson, Spring 2020, Visual Studies
Matthew Davis, Fall 2019, Building Science & Technology
Josh Jordan, Fall 2019, Building Science & Technology
John Locke, Fall 2019, Visual Studies
Farzin Lotfi-Jam and Greg Schleusner, Fall 2019, Visual Studies
Leah Meisterlin, Fall 2019, Urban Planning
Cassim Shepard, Fall 2019, Urban Design
Oana Stanescu, Fall 2019, Architecture
Dan Taeyoung, Fall 2019, Visual Studies
Anthony Vanky, Fall 2019, Urban Planning
Violet Whitney, Fall 2019, Visual Studies
Violet Whitney and Gabrielle Brainard, Fall 2019, Building Science & Technology
Chris Woebken, Fall 2019, Building Science & Technology
Homepage Image Credits
Daylight analysis by Mariami Maghlakelidze completed during the Fall 2020 Re-Thinking BIM course led by Re-Thinking BIM.
Project by Jade Watkins completed during the Fall 2020 Intro to Urban Data and Informatics course led by Boyeong Hong.
Project by Angel Castillo completed during the Fall 2020 Transitional Geometries course led by Josh Jordan.
