This week the University of Sydney will host free public lectures from Australian and international leading architectural thinkers.

Part of the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning Spring Lecture Series, the events are free and open to members of the public.

On Tuesday 11 September, the program will feature John Choi from Choi Ropiha Figuera (Australia) and Caomhán Murphy from  A2 Architects Ireland.

And on Thursday 13 September Dirk Anderson & Eduardo Barrata from Urban Future Organisation (AU) and University of Sydney will present 'Parametric Pragmatism'.

John Choi is partner of Choi Ropiha Fighera. Established in 2000, the practice's founding design, TKTS, has been widely recognised for its design innovation and urban strategy. Awards include New York Art Commission Award, Jørn Utzon Award for International Architecture, and has been cited as New York's Building of the Decade.

He is Adjunct Professor at University of Sydney, and serves on the board of 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.

A2 Architects was established by Peter Carroll and Caomhán Murphy in 2005 and is based in Great Strand Street in Dublin, Ireland.

The practice is founded on a shared interest in both the continuing development of architectural practice as well as the unchanging, essential nature of architecture. A constant excitement and spirit in architecture is sought out, be it in a modest house or in the realm of spaces found in a school.

They have been regularly awarded for their work by the RIAI and Architectural Association of Ireland.

Along with several Irish practices A2 represented Ireland at the inaugural Lisbon Architecture Triennale in Portugal in 2007 with four residential projects and were participants in the 'Four under forty' exhibition and book about emerging Dublin-based practices.

'Parametric Pragmatism'

For more than a decade we have witnessed an increased use and refinement of digital technique within the practice of architecture, resulting in evermore complex yet elegant designs solutions. Current fascination toward abstract algorithmic systems or the generation of modulated patterns as purely a design challenge simply strain justification in light of real-world concerns such as climate change, decaying cities and economic crises.

With these challenges, it is clear that the application of computational thinking within design process has never been more crucial. Although we are interested in building there is a primary interest in mastering the design of buildings with respect to deep syntax of their interrelated systems of experiential, programmatic and fiscal variables. Urban Future will discuss current research and projects within their network organization.

Dirk Anderson and Eduardo de Oliveira Barata are co-directors of Urban Future Organization (UFO) Sydney.  Founded in 1996, UFO is a collective of self-organised architectural firms that share common design strategies in practice, professionalism, and architectural discourse.  UFO is currently represented at the Italian and Australian pavilion for the 2012 Venice Biennale.

 

Visit the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning website for more information.