University of Calgary
EVDS lecture
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Challenging design
Hernan Diaz Alonso is a professor in Los Angeles and New York City.Brash, unapologetic and elusive; an inspiration to his students; a genius in computational design. Meet Hernan Diaz Alonso, this month’s speaker in the EVDS Design Matters lecture series.Diaz Alonso, considered one of the most significant voices of his generation, is the principal and founder of Xefirotarch, an award-winning firm in architecture, product design and digital motion in Los Angeles. “My whole design process is always computer-based, but not necessarily the fabrication,” says Diaz Alonso. “The design process and construction documents are 85 percent done by computer, while fabrication is 80 percent human and 20 percent computer-controlled.” Diaz Alonso is also a professor at the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles, and at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in New York City. “My studios and seminars are always centered around exploring something that I don't know,” says Diaz Alonso. “Also, I try to revendicate this notion of fun. Architecture should be fun.” According to EVDS Architecture Professor Josh Taron, Diaz Alonso has carved a spot as one of the most influential designers and educators in an era of advancing complexity and computational design. “His designs push the boundaries of technology, create the illusion of actually doing so, or just completely ignore rules to begin with,” says Taron. “In any event, the work of Xefirotarch is most definitely interested in challenging what architecture is, if anything, or what it could be.” As an academic, Diaz Alonso has lectured in most of the major architecture institutions in the world, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Architectural Association of London; as a designer, Xefirotarch’s projects have received numerous awards and been exhibited in renowned Art Biennales in London, Beijing, Korea and Vienna. Diaz Alonso’s lecture will be held Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Uptown Stage & Screen located at 612 8 Ave S.W. Tickets will be sold at the door for $5; U of C students attend for free. The EVDS Design Matters Lecture Series is sponsored by: Elemente Magazine, Stantec Architecture, HOK, Marshall Tittemore Architects, Nexen, the Calgary Airport Authority, the City of Calgary, RGO Flooring, RGO Office Products, Section 23 Group, Shaw Contract Group, Simpson Roberts Architecture, Steelcase, and Steel Structures Education Foundation.
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November 3, 2009