Round Table: Digital Tools and Technology

This round table discussion focuses on the role of digital tools, technology, and representation on the ever-changing field of architecture. Panelists will discuss the ways in which they have used technology and how others might use digital tools to convey design ideas, fabricate products, and improve their design process.

Erin Carraher, AIA, LEED AP BD+C | University of Utah

Erin Carraher is a licensed architect and an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah’s School of Architecture where she teaches foundation design studios and graduate seminars on communications and digital technologies. She is the co-director of the School’s digital fabrication lab and is a senior researcher at ITAC, the Integrated Technology in Architecture Center, where she is working on ways to translate emerging practices into the design development and project delivery processes. She practiced architecture in New York City and taught at Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design where she was recognized with the University’s Xcaliber Award Certificate of Excellence for Contributions to Technology-Enriched Teaching and Learning before joining the faculty at Utah in Fall 2011 where she was named Faculty of the Year by the College of Architecture + Planning in 2013. Erin is currently a co-PI on a national AIA continuing education project to develop resources for architects on their role as leaders in collaborative architectural practice in light of emerging forms of project delivery and served as co-chair of the Forefront: Architects as Collaborative Leaders conference held in Salt Lake City in October 2013.

 

Zach Downey, RA, LEED AP | Parabox

Zach Downey received his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia (2005). He worked at SMBW Architects in Richmond, Virginia (2005 – 2007) where he contributed to the firm winning the 2007 Virginia Firm of the Year award. While at SMBW he worked on 403 Stockton Street, was the lead designer of the Manchester Design District Masterplan which won a state AIA Honor Award for un-built work, was a designer on the Luck Stone Corporate Headquarters and then became the project manager during the construction of the headquarters. Zach joined SHoP in 2007 and has assisted in a various number of projects in the office as a Digital Design Specialist helping teams achieve specific project tasks. Zach founded http://www.designalyze. com, a software tutorial website to share the knowledge of parametric and analysis based modeling techniques in the fall of 2008, where he continually shares new and varied design techniques. He has conducted workshops and lectures nationally on design technology and parametric modeling, most recently at Columbia University, Parsons, The University of Arizona, and Virginia Tech and is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University. He has written for several publications, including A+U & Yale University’s Constructs. In 2009 Zach became the Director of the Applied Technology Group at SHoP and has since been involved in many projects to orchestrate Building Information Modeling deliverables. Zach left SHoP in Late 2011 to cofound Parabox, Parabox is a technology company focusing on exploiting emerging technologies to provide seamless data management for all processes directly related to the construction and facility management process, including initial designs, procurement information, as-builts, and engineering specifications for O&M. Zach is also a registered architect in New York.

 

Jeff Gravatte, LEED AP | CADD Microsystems

Mr. Gravatte is the founder and CEO of CADD Microsystems, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. He graduated from George Mason University’s School Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering and holds a Bachelors of Science in Electronic and Computer Engineering. Mr. Gravatte began his career as a Vertical Transportation Specialist, where he was involved in the redesign and retrofit of Elevator and Escalator systems. In the early part of his career, he used CAD systems for Architectural and Engineering designs for Government and Commercial buildings. He eventually founded CADD Microsystems to help design firms become more profitable using CAD technology. His expertise grew out of the design of early CAD systems hardware and software configurations.

Mr. Gravatte studied the design and drafting processes, focusing on which parts could be automated with CAD systems. He used this understanding of design practices and technology to become a nationally recognized BIM expert. Today, he maintains a focus on the business aspects of applying design technology. He works with Architects, Engineers and Contractors to provide technology planning. He has consulted with some of the largest Architectural and Engineering firms in the country. Mr. Gravatte’s activities have included building the Revit DC User Group to more than 170 members, attending Stanford Universities CIFE summer program on Virtual Design and Construction, and writing various articles on the subject of Building Information Modeling. He has been recognized as an expert in CAD and BIM applications, speaking frequently at conferences and seminars. Today, CADD Microsystems serves more than 10,000 organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region, offering training, and consulting and software sales for Autodesk products.

 

Hiroshi Jacobs, Associate AIA, LEED AP | STUDIOS

Hiroshi Jacobs is an educator, designer, and installation artist working in Washington D.C. His design work has appeared in numerous publications and exhibitions, including Surface Magazine, Businessweek, Harvard GSD Platform, DesCours New Orleans, La Biennale di Venezia, and the Harvard Arts First Festival. Hiroshi is currently a designer with STUDIOS architecture and serves as a lecturer and studio critic with The Catholic University of America. He has previously taught at Tulane University and in the Career Discovery program at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and was recently awarded the 2012 Emerging Architect Award from the American Institute of Architects Washington DC Chapter.

As a designer and academic, Hiroshi works with a particular interest in indeterminate systems and the potential reciprocities and found between technology, material, and intuitive gestures. Hiroshi’s interest in digital design process has also led to him to become a leading voice in the field of Building Information Modeling technology, in both professional and academic circles. He is the founder and director of RevitCity.com, an online community of Revit users with over 400,000 members. He is also the author of a software plugin, Chameleon, which facilitates the transfer of geometric and meta-data between Revit and Grasshopper.

Hiroshi received his Master in Design Studies degree from Harvard University, where he was the recipient of the Daniel L Shodek Award for Technology and Sustainability, and received his Bachelor and Master of Architecture degrees from Tulane University.

 

Phyllis Klein | Fab Lab DC

Phyllis Klein is founder of Fab Lab DC, a fledgling independent, non-profit, digital fabrication lab in the heart of DC offering workshops, exhibitions, events, and a speaker series. Phyllis served on the steering committee to establish the International Fab Lab Association and as a member of the

support team for Fab Academy. She collaborates with the Fab Foundation and MIT to advance the global Fab Network. In addition to Fab activities, she works as an independent consultant in both for-profit and non-profit sectors, aiding businesses and organizations with start-up, management, communications, research & development, and creative problem solving. Her projects span various fields, including small business development, inter-professional planning and design, urban renewal, education, public health, and art and culture. Also an artist and designer, her banner design was recently selected for the DC Urban Forestry Project.

 Andrew Cocke

Andrew Cocke is an award-winning designer, writer, educator, and design technology specialist at CASE in New York.  He is also a design director at SKYE Design Studio in Taipei and the founder of HERE Design in Washington DC.  He has previously taught design technology at Catholic University where he was the Director of the Comprehensive Building Design Studio.  He is the founder and co-chairman of the Washington, DC AIA Technology Committee.

Presentation: Role of the Citizen Architect

This presentation will address the role of the architect in non-traditional practice models, i.e. the citizen architect. Participants will present examples of their work and involvement in the architectural community via professional, philanthropic, and academic avenues.

Marie Zawistowski, Architecte DPLG & Keith Zawistowski, Associate AIA, GC

Professors of Practice | Virginia Tech School of Architecture

Keith Zawistowski was born in New Jersey, USA and studied architecture at Virginia Tech. Marie Zawistowski was born in Paris, France and studied architecture at the Ecole d’Architecture Paris Malaquais. They met at Auburn University’s Rural Studio while working as students with Architect Sambo Mockbee to design and build a charity house for Lucy Harris and her family. In 2005, they received a Graham Foundation Grant for “Traditions of Today and Tomorrow” their study of traditional building practices in Ghana, West Africa. They have since married and established OnSite, LLC to continue their collaboration, making buildings, which are deeply rooted in the unique identity of people and place. By working from within the context of their projects, Keith and Marie strive to make buildings which are economically, culturally, and environmentally sensitive.

In 2008 Keith and Marie joined the faculty at Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design, where they are currently co-teaching Professional Practice, Building Analysis, Building Assemblies, and the design/buildLAB which they co-founded. The design/buildLAB is a project-based experiential learning program focused on the research, development and implementation of innovative construction methods and architectural designs. Students collaborate with local communities and industry experts to conceive and realize built works of architecture that are both educational and charitable in nature. The aspirations of the program are simultaneously to reinforce the knowledge and skills necessary to the students’ successful and meaningful practice of architecture and to support development efforts in distressed communities by enriching the quality of their built environment.

In 2009, Keith and Marie received a Design Excellence Award from the Virginia Society American Institute of Architects for their design and construction of the Arritt Farm House. In 2011 they received the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards’ Grand Prize for the Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy for their Professional Practice course “Designing Practice”, they were featured in Architect Magazine’s AIA Voices, and their design/buildLAB students received both a Design Excellence Award from the Virginia Society American Institute of Architects and a Design Award from the National Wood Products Council for the Covington Farmers Market project. In 2012 Keith and Marie were listed among “the top 100 individuals and teams working at the intersection of design and service” by Public Interest Design and the design/buildLAB’s Masonic Amphitheatre was featured in Metropolis Magazine and named Building of the Year by American- Architects.com. In 2013 Keith and Marie were recognized by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture with their inaugural Design/Build Education Award for “best practices in design/build education”.

 

Presentation and Round Table: Integrated Project Delivery

This presentation will focus on Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method. The panel will introduce IPD to the program participants featuring representation from all the parties invested during IPD: architect, owner/developer, contractor, and technology. Following the presentation, there will be a diaglogue amongst the panel and the program participants to discuss the successes and pitfalls of IPD, as well as how it promotes collaboration in the practice from the beginning of design through construction.

D. Graham Davidson, FAIA | Partner, Hartman-Cox Architects

Graham Davidson joined the firm of Hartman-Cox Architects in 1979 and is a Partner. His responsibilities include both the design and administration of a broad range of projects including master planning and building design for commercial, institutional, residential and historic projects throughout the United States.

Mr. Davidson has directed master planning efforts and the approval process for a number of significant projects in downtown Washington, DC including 1001 Pennsylvania, Market Square, Franklin Square, Lincoln Square, the Kennedy Warren Apartments, the Bowen Building, Mount Vernon Place and 505 Ninth Street. He recently completed a significant addition to the American Pharmacists Association, a LEED Gold project on Constitution Avenue, culminating over 16 years of planning efforts, approvals and land transactions. Also recently completed the LEED Gold 1515 Wynkoop building in Denver, Colorado for Hines Interests. He is currently designing a 500,000 square foot office building in Beijing’s Financial Street District, Beijing, China.

He has spent a number of years preserving and renovating some of our nation’s most treasured landmarks, including the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Mr. Davidson is currently working on the restoration of the House of the Temple, one of John Russell Pope’s masterworks, located on 16th Street in Washington, DC.

Mr. Davidson has served as the President of the Washington DC AIA Chapter, on the DC AIA Executive Committee, the Washington Architectural Foundation Executive Committee and the National Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects. He is an active member of Lambda Alpha, the honorary Land Economics Society. Mr. Davidson was appointed by the mayor of Washington, DC to the Historic Preservation Review Board in 2012.

He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Maryland and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He is NCARB certified and a registered architect in the District of Columbia and six states.

 

Elizabeth Kinkel, Associate AIA, LEED AP BD+C | Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager GRAPHISOFT

Elizabeth Kinkel, a graduate of Virginia Tech’s CAUS (College of Architecture and Urban Studies), has spent her professional career exploring the architectural and sales professions seeking to bridge knowledge and understanding between these two industries. As both an architectural practitioner at DHPY and Wnuk Spurlock Architecture in DC as well as a sales manager for Vineyard Vines, a rapidly growing retailer, Elizabeth realized her desire to bring the business success and understanding to the small architectural firm. It is with this passion Elizabeth joined the GRAPHISOFT team as their Mid- Atlantic Regional Sales Manager. She believes every day is an exploration, an opportunity to learn, and a chance to promote “Good Life.”

As part of her exploration, Elizabeth pursues her own architectural projects, designing the interiors to the DC Alpha Chapter house of Pi Beta Phi, executing BIM models for various homes in Fairfax County, and resolving building vibration issues at Ballston Crossfit. In addition to these accomplishments Elizabeth is an active member of the DC AIA Emerging Architecture Committee, serving for the past 6 years; serves as VP of event planning for her sorority alum club, Pi Beta Phi; participates as a core member of the Chapter House Corporation for the DC Alpha chapter, George Washington University, of Pi Beta Phi; and coaches for Check it Out Lacrosse.

 

William I. Kline, AIA, EDAC, CAA, LEED AP | Vice President, SmithGroupJJR

Bill Kline serves as the Healthcare Studio Leader in SmithGroupJJR’s Washington, DC office. A Vice President with the firm, Bill’s experience encompasses a diverse array of projects for significant healthcare, government, and cultural institutions. He recently served as Managing Principal for the Center for the Intrepid, which received seven design and team awards and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, the worlds most advanced facility dedicated to research treatment and development of protocols to treat traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress. He has lectured on a variety of topics and his work has been recognized with several academic and design honors, including the Henry Adams AIA Medal and the Alpha Rho Chi Medal. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Virginia.

 

Tom Krajewski

With over 30 years in the construction industry, Tom Krajewski has worked throughout the United States on projects ranging from high rise buildings to interior renovations, with experience in healthcare, corporate office, data centers, student housing and biopharmaceutical projects utilizing various collaborative project delivery methods. Drawing on his extensive design-build experience, he has been an active voice in promoting IPD and is helping to change owners’ expectations, subcontractor attitudes and worker productivity within the construction industry in the metropolitan Washington, DC area.

A strong advocate of integrated delivery systems, Mr. Krajewski has made presentations to numerous organizations, including AIA national convention, Associated General Contractors, Ecobuild, DesignDC, General Services Administration and the Lean Construction Institute to promote the use of building information modeling, lean construction and collaborative processes.

 

Timothy McCurley | CBRE

With 10 years of healthcare industry experience, Tim specializes in project management and has guided some of the largest healthcare construction projects in the country. In his role as Principal Consultant, Tim oversees all client engagements and directs project strategy and focus. He is responsible for managing all aspects of a project from the launch of the project to occupancy and close out. His leadership and vision guide project team members in developing and implementing creative solutions to deliver the clients projects.

During his career, Tim has worked with leading medical centers throughout the United States, including Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, All Children’s Hospital, Fauguier Hospital, Potomac Hospital and Upper Chesapeake Health. Tim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Building Construction from Auburn University.