Captain
Hugh Whitehead
In 1998 Hugh Whitehead was invited to join Foster + Partners to set up a new Specialist Modelling Group, whose brief is to carry out Research and Development in a project-driven environment. His input at Foster + Partners has become an invaluable resource for a number of pioneering buildings, including a new music centre at Gateshead; the landmark SwissRe at 30 St Mary Axe, London; the GLA building for the London Mayor; a residential complex, Albion Wharf Riverside, London; and Chesa Futura, an apartment building in St Moritz for Lord Foster. His recent work includes the recently completed enclosure for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and Beijing Airport – the world’s largest and most advanced airport building, completed in 2008 for the Olympics. (read more about Hugh Whitehead)
First officer
Kristoffer Josefsson
Kristoffer Josefsson recieved his Mathematics education in Sweden and Berlin. After doing mathematical research in Discrete differential geometry, he turned his interest to architecture and to the intersection of form-finding in free-form architecture and mathematics. He has taught workshops for architects, as well as co-authored several articles on these topics.” (read more)
Local Crew
Jane Burry
Jane Burry is an architect and associate professor at RMIT University. Her research focus is mathematics in contemporary design, lead author of The New Mathematics of Architecture, 2010. She is also engaged in research into model flexibility in early design, integration of analysis feedback in early design, design communication for distributed design collaboration, interactive physical and digital architecture. http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/People/jburry.php
Flora Salim
Dr. Flora Salim is a Research Fellow at Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory (SIAL), RMIT University. From a computer science background, she is interested in applying computational approaches, particularly distributed and mobile computing, data analysis, augmented reality, and tangible interactions to architecture and urban design problems. In 2010, she initiated the development of UbiMash. She co-led two successful international workshop clusters in SmartGeometry 2010 and 2011. She has published at least 30 international peer-reviewed publications in significant conferences, journals, or book chapters. (http://florasalim.com)
Mark Burry
Professor Mark Burry is a leading proponent of practice based design research. He has practiced, exhibited and published internationally on three main themes: the life and work of the architect Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, putting theory into practice with regard to ‘challenging’ architecture, and transdisciplinary design education and practice. He has published widely on broader issues of design, construction and the use of computers in design theory and practice. As consultant architect to the Temple Sagrada Família since 1979, Mark Burry has been a key member within the local design team based on site in Barcelona.
Dominik Holzer
Dr.Dominik Holzer is Design Technology Director at BVN Architecture where he promotes Building Information Modelling (BIM) as well as parametric modelling and building performance optimisation. Dominik currently chairs the ‘BIM and IPD Steering Group’ of the Australian Institute of Architects and Consult Australia and he frequently publishes on Design Technology related matters both nationally as well as internationally.
Mike Xie
Prof. Mike Xie is the Head of Civil Engineering discipline at RMIT University. He is one of the pioneers of the Evolutionary Structural Optimization (ESO) method. The ESO techniques developed by Professor Xie and his team have been widely used by architects and engineers around the world. He has been retained as a specialist consultant to various engineering and architectural firms such as Boeing, BKK Architects, Bovis Lend Lease, and Sinclair Knight Merz.
Simon Watkins
Simon Watkins has a background in experimental fluid mechanics -
particularly wind-tunnel testing – and has supervised many projects
involved with aerodynamics including wind generators, buildings, cars,
trucks, trains and recently micro air vehicles (MAVs). He was the
originator and architect of the first automotive engineering degree in
Australia and also set up RMIT Racing in 2000 (one of 200+ teams from
universities around the world that design and build open-wheel racing
cars), winning the FISITA Formula Student World Cup in Silverstone UK in 2007 and the American FSAE event in Detroit in 2006. He now supervises the design, build and testing of all-electric FSAE cars, see
www.fsae.rmit.edu.au .
Asha Rao
Asha Rao is a Senior Lecturer at RMIT University. As Program Leader from 2004 to mid-2007, Rao designed and developed the industry accredited Masters in Information Security and Assurance. Rao has published in mathematics and in the information security and risk management areas and has attracted grants from the ARC, the Australian Government and industry. Rao has close links with the information security industry including winning a placement on a multi-million dollar risk management project with Ernst & Young. Rao is a Media Expert and regularly appears in audio-visual and print media to comment on information security matters.
Brad Marmion
Brad runs the digital fabrication workshop at SIAL; he facilitates a number of interdisciplinary subjects at RMIT integrating craftsmanship with digital technologies and is involved with numerous research projects at SIAL. Brad‘s background is in Industrial Design and his Master’s degree focused high performance sports equipment. This stemmed from Brad’s childhood helping his father with boatbuilding and even constructing the Little Americas cup winged sailed catamarans. Brad has also been a keen dingy sailor competitive in national and international events.
Chin Koi Khoo
C. Koi Khoo is recipient of an Australia Postgraduate Award and a PhD Candidate at the Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory (SIAL) under the supervision of Prof. Mark Burry. His current research is exploring soft responsive kinetic architecture using form-changing material involved morphing building skins and their performances to manipulate architectural space.
Sascha Bohnenberger
Sascha Bohnenberger is a PhD Candidate at the Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory (SIAL) under the supervision of Mark Burry and Manfred Grohmann. Sascha is situated in the Embedded Research within Architectural Practiceprogram. He is part of the “performativeBuildingGroup” at the world known structural engineering office: Bollinger + Grohmann Engineers.
Kamil Sharaidin
Kamil Sharaidin is a PhD candidate at Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory (SIAL) at RMIT University under supervision Flora Salim, Jane Burry and Mark Burry. His current research is investigating on adopting kinetic facades to improve building energy performance in architectural practice. He also tutors at RMIT University.
Rafael Moya
Rafael Moya Castro. Chilean Architect, Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso. Master of Architecture, Pontificia Universidad catolica de Chile. Now just starting in the PhD program at SIAL of RMIT University. His interest is about technologies and open source tools applied to Architecture.
His blog is http://www.bitacoravirtual.cl/ and has a forum about free and open source software for Architects http://foroarqsl.creatuforo.
Daniel Davis
Daniel Davis is a PhD Candidate at SIAL, where he researches methods for improving parametric modelling in architectural practice under the supervision of Mark Burry and Jane Burry. Daniel frequently publishes and teaches workshops on computational architecture, he blogs about digital design at nzarchitecture.com, and develops Yeti, a live-programming environment for geometry.