Cristiano Ceccato, Zaha Hadid Architects London: Lecture - Constructing Parametric Architecture

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) is a London-based architecture practice operating internationally, with projects under development and construction world-wide. The firm has grown almost ten-fold over the past decade in response to market demand. This success presents a very serious challenge in terms of project design and delivery methods, design quality and control, and project management. Together with the ever-increasing demand for extensive and precise information by clients, this has further increased the need for a powerful and versatile computational foundation. ZHA has developed an approach to building design which makes consistent use of powerful computational design technologies available today - in fact, the design language of the office has evolved in tandem with in-house computational research and academic teaching, constantly pushing the boundaries of geometric expression while developing the technical capability to faithfully capture and execute a design. The integration of design intention and accurate, efficient project delivery is achieved through a digital codification of design as a series of parametric geometric operations, in which families of design solutions can be rapidly generated by controlling associative geometries and driving parameters. Downstream, design geometry is articulated as families of self-similar components that are produced by available CNC fabrication technologies, and rationalized to achieve constructability informed by cost, risk and aesthetics and managed through integrated building delivery methods, such as BIM. This process-wide "parametric language" allows ZHA to rapidly and efficiently tackle a wide range of complex design problems and produce a flexible range of viable results in a short amount of time, while being able to effectively deliver building projects with confidence. About Cristiano Cristiano Ceccato is an Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects in London. His work entails a wide range of management, design and technology leadership responsibilities, leading large-scale public and private projects. Professional focus includes design and geometric constructability resolution of structural and envelope systems, and project governance through BIM systems. Cristiano previously worked for Frank O. Gehry in Los Angeles for many years, and was a co-founder and Director of Gehry Technologies. At Gehry Partners he was responsible for the development and application of parametric design tools and integrated modeling principles on a wide range of design projects at all stages of development. Cristiano has held academic faculty positions worldwide, specializing in the development of design solutions for complex forms using parametric technology and software engineering. He trained as an architect and computer scientist, and received his Diploma in Architecture degree from the Architectural Association (1996) and an MS in Computer Science from Imperial College in London (1997). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (England) in 2004. Directions This event will be at the UCLA Architecture and Urban Design in the Perloff Hall Rooms 1243B & C, on the main floor at the East end of the building. Parking is $10, please see this link for information: parking map. Enter the UCLA campus through the East entrance, for driving directions to UCLA, please visit this link:http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/map/directions.htm Thursday 22 April 2010 7pm, FREE at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, Perloff Hall, Rooms 1243B & C, Detailed directions at bottom. Post event libations and filler @ To be announced location Please RSVP to [email protected]