Last week, I had the opportunity to attend and present at the AIA San Francisco Design Technology Symposium in California.
As the Director of Design Technology at Lake Flato, Author, Educator at NDSU, and AIA national COTE Leadership, I was excited to share my experiences related to practice, education, technology, and equity.
Today's post is a recap of the wonderful event.
Photo: Event organizers, moderators, and panelists
As usual, with my recaps, most of these photos are presented in the order taken to help share the event's overall experience. There is so much more that could be said about the event, sessions, and presenters, but I only have time for a few highlights:)
Venue
The event was held at the beautiful new AIA San Francisco Center for Architecture + Design (CA+D) space. There were over 100 attendees, with several from out of state (like me - Texas) and three people outside the US.
Symposium Emcee
Argelia Barcena, Assoc. AIA, Gensler, was the Emcee for the entire event. She is also on the AIASF Board of Directors and leads the SF Design Technology AIA Knowledge Community.
Welcome Remarks
Vikram Dutt, vice president of Product Portfolio & Marketing, at Autodesk, gave a nice introduction highlighting Autodesk's position in the market and supporting the design and climate challenges the industry faces.
Phillip Bernstein, FAIA, RIBA, LEED AP, Assoc. Dean & Professor Adjunct, Yale School of Architecture.
Phil gave a nice overview of the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice and some of his work at Yale to help frame the equity lens of the event. Coincidentally, I shared some specific passages from the AIA/ACSA Equity in Architectural Education guide related to technology in my presentation.
Technology, Education + Equity
Exploring the role of technology in transforming architectural education and bridging industry skill gaps. Delving into technology's role in promoting equitable access in architectural education and bridging industry skill gaps.
Moderator:
- Mahshad Kazem Zadeh, PhD, Gensler
Panelists:
- Eric Cesal, UC Berkeley
- David Banyard, Autodesk
- Daniel Stine, AIA, Lake|Flato Architects
My slides related to the AIA Equity in Architectural Education guide, specific to technology (click to enlarge image)...
A view of the audience from the panelists' perspective:) This was a nice space with great acoustics.
Technology, Professional Practice + Equity
Examining how professional practice employs design technology like BIM, VR/AR, and Generative Design to create equitable and enhanced project delivery.
Moderator:
- Brandon Nuckelt, MBH Architects
Speakers:
- Julie Jackson, AIA LEED AP, Jackson Liles Architecture
- Constanza Scholl, AIA, BAMO
- Samaneh Zolfagharian, PhD, YegaTech AI
- Bonyan Zolghadri, Assoc. AIA, Gensler
Equity in Emerging Technologies
Spotlighting future technologies such as AI, Machine Learning, IoT, and Startups that promise to shape an inclusive architectural future.
Moderator:
- Thesla Collier, CSI CDT, HNTB
Speakers:
- Al Dram, Blueprints AI
- Alison Muh, Space Plan Wizard
- Valentin Noves, Upcree
- Samuel Arsenault-Brassard, VIM
- Cesar Ramos Medina, SketchPro.ai
- Aschley Yanda, Urban Machine
I have been following the work of Urban Machines and look forward to this amazing matching being scaled and operationally widely. Their matching uses robots and AI to de-nail salvaged/deconstructed lumber.
Related: check out the 2021 City of San Antonio report that shows 600 1,500SF homes could have been constructed with the wood that went into the landfill in 2020. The city is the largest in the US with a deconstruction ordinance!
Equity-Driven Case Studies
Focusing on real-life examples of client relationships and architectural results driven by technology, emphasizing equitable outcomes and inclusion.
Moderator:
- Niknaz Aftahi, aec+tech
Speakers:
- Andrew MacLaggan, AIA LFA, Foster + Partners
- Brendan Mullins, Stantec
- David A. Golden, UC Berkeley
- Mike Hoppe, Geopogo
- Oscar Hernandez-Gomez, Senior GIS Product Designer / Data Analyst at City and County of San Francisco - Planning Department
This gets "best slide" in my book:) By Andrew from Foster + Partners.
A super interesting data layer was added to a developing digital twin model of San Franciso. I look forward to learning more about this.
Closing Remarks
Robert gave thought-provoking and inspirational closing remarks through a memorable personal story. A fantastic way to close out the event.
Robert Yuen, CEO/Co-Founder, Monograph
Selfies
I like taking selfies... sorry to those I missed.
Robin Franke, Customer Success Manager for Autodesk Forma
Nancy McClure, BIM Manager, TCA Architects
David Banyard, Principal Business Consultant at Autodesk
Jim Cowan, BIM Consultant: AEC Specialist - Architecture
- Jim does some of the new hire Revit training for Lake Flato!
Thesla Collier, CSI, CDT, Intl. Assoc. AIA, Design Technology Manager, HNTB
Matt Menendez, Senior Project Specialist, DAHLIN Architecture
Francesca R. Oliveira, AIA, Principal, Technical Design at SOM
Argelia Barcena, Assoc. AIA, Gensler
Christian Wopperer, Architect, Associate at EHDD
Krasimir Nikolov, Chief Executive Officer at QuarkXR
Aschley Hopkins Yanda, Director of Sales at Urban Machine
Oscar Hernandez-Gomez, Senior GIS Product Designer / Data Analyst at City and County of San Francisco - Planning Department
Mahshad Kazem Zadeh, PhD, Gensler
Niknaz Aftahi, aec+tech
Robert Yuen, CEO/Co-Founder, Monograph
Conclusion
This was a well-curated and run event with many inspiring and practical takeaways! Keep an eye out for this one next year, as I highly recommend it.
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