Last Friday, February 8, FIU’s Professor of Architecture, Eric Goldemberg delivered a keynote presentation on “PULSATION: Rhythmic Perception in Space” at the (En)coding Architecture 2013 Conference at Carnegie Mellon University. A panel discussion on the topic of Computational Theory, Code and Tangible Desire moderated by Goldemberg followed. This prestigious international event included keynote presentations by celebrated architecture critics and theorists Sanford Kwinter, Neil Leach, and Warrenm Neidich among others.
According to the (En)coding Architecture website, the conference “brings together rising superstars, experienced researchers and designers to present experimental work derived through computational thinking and digital making.” Goldemberg’s book “Pulsation in Architecture,” is a great example of the extensive work he has done in digital research. Pulsation in architecture highlights the role of digital design as the catalyst for the new spatial sensibility related to rhythmic perception.
During the conference, Goldemberg was able to show parts of his book while explaining the different projects that he has done at his MONDAD studio in Miami. “I was very glad to participate in the conference at Carnegie Mellon… I was fortunate to see how the field of computation continues to push forward our discipline, especially now with the advent of robotics applied to construction at multiple scales,” Goldemberg said. Through public exposure and multiple lectures of “Pulsation in Architecture,” his book has been more and more recognized in academia and the professional field.
“This book is the result of the support of our academic environment at the Department of Architecture in the College of Architecture + The Arts,” Goldemberg said. The first time he was able to expose the idea of rhythmic perception was in 2008 at an International Conference organized by the Department of Architecture at FIU. Since then, Goldemberg has lectured on this subject at the very prestigious Architectural Association in London, the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura in Barcelona (ETSAB), the University of Puerto Rico, the Angewandte Kunst in Vienna’s program in Cagliari, Italy and several other venues. “The book is impacting a whole generation of designers throughout the architectural schools, and generating a ripple in the general architectural discourse in different communities,” Goldemberg added.
Goldemberg, who teaches graduate design studios and advanced digital seminars focusing on digital fabrication at FIU, became involved with computing in Architecture when he began his Master of Architecture at Columbia University in 2001. This program was “The mecca for this sort of sophisticated culture of digital technologies throughout its well known “paperless” program” Goldemberg said. Having the opportunity to learn from the most advanced practitioners in digital design at Columbia University such as Greg Lynn, Jeffrey Kipnis, Hani Rashid and Stan Allen, gave him the tools to succeed in the field.
MONAD Studio has become a comprehensive design research practice that feeds back to academia with the incorporation of groups of students that contribute to experimental projects, developing work for very prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and The Wolfsonian- FIU in Miami.
In conclusion Goldemberg adds “the future looks very bright as the advances in digital technology will allow to bring to life a great many works of architectural visionaries, always challenging our preconceived notions of what architecture is and what role it can play in society at large.”
