“We are excited to bring together some of the most remarkable people practicing today to learn from and discuss their research on materiality and the diverse ways they approach it. After the successful inaugural edition in Chicago in 2019, we are extremely happy to partner with the University of Stuttgart to continue these conversations and engage the students, faculty, and professionals,” said Iker Gil, Executive Director of the SOM Foundation.
“The SOM Foundation symposium hosts a series of great speakers at the intersection of research and practice” commented Jan Knippers, director of the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), deputy director at the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC of the University of Stuttgart, and participant at the inaugural edition of the forum. "The aim is to steer academic research in a relevant direction and to stimulate innovation in practice. The University of Stuttgart is excited to partner with the SOM Foundation on the second edition of this forum.”
Architect and structural engineer Werner Sobek, founder of Werner Sobek Group, will be honored during the symposium for his contributions to the fields of architecture and engineering. In 1983, Sobek received the Fazlur Rahman Khan International Fellowship from the SOM Foundation. He will be presented with the recognition by William Baker, SOM Structural Engineering Consulting Partner and inaugural honoree of the International Research and Design Forum.
“Werner Sobek is a brilliant engineer, architect, and environmentalist who has dedicated his career to innovation. He has continually strived to create new architecture and systems through research and design. He is a perfect choice to be honored at the SOM Foundation International Research and Design Forum in Stuttgart,” said William Baker.
The list of speakers will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Speakers of the 2019 forum, held in partnership with the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, included Francis Aish (Foster + Partners), Philippe Block (ETH Zurich), James Carpenter (James Carpenter Design Associates), Scott Duncan (SOM), Janet Echelman and David Feldman (Studio Echelman), Jan Knippers (TU Stuttgart & Jan Knippers Ingenieure), Caitlin Mueller (MIT), Guy Nordenson (Princeton & Guy Nordenson and Associates), Mike Schlaich (TU Berlin & Schlaich Bergermann Partner), Matthias Schuler (Transsolar), and Michelle Addington (Dean of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture). The debates, moderated by James Carpenter and Guy Nordenson, connected the efforts and discussed the different approaches speakers were exploring.
This forum is presented as part of the Stuttgart Week of Advancing AEC organized by the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC at the University of Stuttgart week. The forum is open to the public and welcomes design professionals, educators, and students. Registration is required. More information will be available at www.intcdc.uni-stuttgart.de/stuttgart-week-of-advancing-aec.
