Smart Geometry at Cooper Union

Smart Geometry session at Cooper Union

Bo Stjerne Thomsen has just come back from New York where he attended a seminar on smart geometry:

Smart Geometry sessions are interesting technological explorations into the use of the Bentley Systems and generative components for Advanced Architectural Design. This year the one week sponsored workshop was held at the great Hudson hotel (with the Starck bar) followed up by a 1 day seminar at the Cooper Union to summarize the workshops as well as key speakers outlining the future of smart architectural geometries.

These seminars are great for inspiration for both students and researchers and this year was no disappointment. People as Achim Menges, J. Parrish, Chris Williams, Chuck Hoberman, Axel Kilian and more was introducing both the results of the last week’s workshops, current achievements in both practice and research combined with some theoretical reflections on impact for the engineering and architectural practices.

Very interesting were Foster + Partner explaining about their ‘regulators’ for architectural representation according to scope of project, time and ambiguity as well as Jenny Sabin’s crazy textile exercises in new materials. Even much of the projects and research can be investigated out of these conferences, the atmosphere is really interesting and the possibility for joining interests with other institutes is remarkable.

At the evening reception at the Guggenheim the conference carried out the brilliant concept of a free bar, tacos, snacks and live music – perfect surroundings to revisit the space of Frank Lloyd Wright. In here the surroundings were more informal and open to new discussions apart from the software based.

Evening reception at Guggenheim

Then touring New York visiting the great Columbia campus, Cooper and the new school of design at Parsons to try to keep up with their standard of educational facilities. As well New York is always impressing in new ways of regulating urban space as for instance making a barricade around the City Hall (how does this look like in a democracy…) as well as the new Hearst Tower and the soon to be finished Bond Street.

For those soon to arrive in New York the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum is worth a visit. Urban Design, Architecture, Industrial Design and Digital Design are represented with examples of state of the art materials, projects and structures presenting e.g. a live Hoberman structure, James Corner design proposal, new reactive lighting and materials as well as computer games to reduce pain when undergoing operation.

New York still comes up with contributions for new impulses from the active grid of Manhattan and combined with a conference it could be a never-ending story.

Output from the conference and additional information on speakers followed up with video is soon available on www.smartgeometry2007.com.

New York, New York