Faculty members at the Texas A&M College of Architecture presented a wide variety of research at the college’s 10th annual research symposium, held Monday Oct. 27 at the Langford Architecture Center on the Texas A&M campus.
The daylong research showcase featured a series of faculty presentations previously delivered at scholarly venues around the world. This year's symposium included invited or refereed presentations and papers from the 2007-08 academic year.
“The individual sessions comprising the symposium reflected all aspects of the designed environment,” said Lou Tassinary, associate dean for research at the College of Architecture. “The categories were not predetermined, but rather reflect themes that have emerged in the work of faculty over the past year.”
The symposium featured more than 60 presentations divided into diverse categories and delivered in several concurrent sessions. The presentations examined ongoing research in studio pedagogy, architectural theory and design, art, healthcare architecture and planning, disaster planning and mitigation, 3-D modeling and animation, sustainable urbanism, historic preservation, construction science, visualization, energy conservation, housing, land development and facility management.
The annual symposium was established a decade ago to underscore the influence research has on teaching and practice. It also serves as a catalyst for research-informed teaching in the College of Architecture’s four undergraduate and nine graduate degree programs. And, because many of the faculty presentations were originally delivered at scholarly venues abroad, the event also showcases the global influence of research conducted by college faculty.
Highlighting the 2008 symposium was a keynote address, “Design in Flux,” by Alex McDowell, an internationally acclaimed production designer known for his integration of digital technology and traditional craft. McDowell’s work can be seen in such Hollywood blockbusters as “Fight Club,” Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and Steven Spielberg's “Minority Report.”
“The talk," McDowell said, “offered insight into the future of a creative process blended with technology and narrative, illustrated from recent work.”
