SHoP Architects has established a reputation for progressive design that combines a novel approach to technology with innovative building delivery methods. Early projects, such as Dunescape for PS1 and the Camera Obscura for Mitchell Park, simultaneously employed high-tech (digital modeling and fabrication) and low-tech (full-scale templates) approaches to design and construction that stretched the limits of a small architectural practice.  These projects were executed quickly, cheaply, and by whatever means necessary. As the firm has grown and projects have increased in scale and complexity, their approach to technology, information management, and project execution has evolved along with the practice. The firm has transitioned from a representational to an informational approach to modeling and documentation, opening new opportunities and posing new challenges to the ways that projects are designed, staffed, managed, and built. Steven Sanderson, Federico Negro, and Nash Hurley have been instrumental in guiding this change. They will present 290 Mulberry Street, a residential project currently under construction in Manhattan, as an in-depth case study of how the office is currently managing this transition. By discussing both the successes and failures of this process, the forum aims to create a venue for discussing issues concerning integrated design and construction technologies within creative environments and their impact upon the design and execution of exceptional architecture.

Steven Sanderson received his Master of Engineering from the Product-Architecture and Engineering Lab at Stevens Institute of Technology (2007) and his Bachelor of Industrial Design from Virginia Tech (2002) where he graduated with honors. He joined SHoP Architects in 2003, where he has worked on a broad range of projects including C2 - a new academic building for the Fashion Institute of Technology, the East River Masterplan for the City of New York, and World Business Center Busan – a proposal for the tallest tower in South Korea. In 2006 he was made Director of Design Technology and Research at SHoP and is currently exploring parametric and computational approaches using material and programmatic constraints as a catalyst for design innovation. An alumnus of the Design Workshop studio at Parsons, The New School for Design, Federico Negro participated in a collaborative technical studio, led by SHoP Architects, which developed construction documents for a complex roof system for a private residence in Aspen, Colorado. He joined SHoP Architects upon completing his Master of Architecture in 2004. His experience in design, fabrication and implementation gave him the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects including, 39571 Project in Mississippi immediately following Hurricane Katrina and the Jonathan Nelson Fitness Center at Brown University, as well as various commercial and residential projects.  Federico is the project manager for 290 Mulberry Street, which is currently under construction, and is involved in the research, planning and implementation of management strategies within SHoP. Nash Hurley came to SHoP Architects after receiving his Master of Architecture from UC Berkeley in 2005. Prior to his studies, Nash spent several years working for contractors and fabricators in California. Since joining SHoP, he has been instrumental in developing implementation strategies for BIM, while coordinating production on eight models across a variety of project scales. Nash is currently project architect and BIM coordinator on a 600,000 sf residential tower in New York City. This fall, Nash will enroll in the Product-Architecture and Engineering Lab at Stevens Institute of Technology where he will focus on links between environmental analysis and computational design. He plans to fold this research into his contributions to the design process at SHoP. Event Information Thursday 26 July 2007, 7pm - 8pm,   FREE Gin Wong Conference Center, Harris Hall 101 School of Architecture, University of Southern California The event will start promptly at 7pm. Light food will be served from 6pm. Please arrive early so that we can ensure a prompt start. This event is free due to the generous support of USC School of Architecture and ABC Imaging. 1 AIA CEU credit provided by the AIA/LA CAD Committee. Driving Directions Enter the campus at Gate 1 off Exposition Blvd at USC Watt Way (between Figueroa and Vermont Blvd). Parking on campus is $7. The parking attendant will direct you to the closest available parking. The Gin D. Wong, FAIA Conference Center is located in Harris Hall just east of Gate 1. For driving directions to USC, please visit this link: http://www.usc.edu/about/visit/upc/driving_directions/main_entrance.html or see this customized USC parking map The Los Angeles Design Technology Forum The Los Angeles Design Technology Forum is a collective organization representing a wide cross-section of architecture and engineering firms and academic institutions around the Los Angeles basin.  It serves to increase awareness of technological innovations in design and construction, and to foster their application throughout the Los Angeles design community. By connecting a diverse audience of designers, engineers, builders and owners who have widely varying conceptions of technology in their work, we hope to create new opportunities for efficiency and creativity. The Los Angeles Design Technology Forum is coordinated by Marty Doscher and Reg Prentice. It is supported by ABC Imaging, a nation-wide reprographics company. The Forum wishes to thank Charity Craig, National Director of Sales, ABC Imaging.   Charity M Craig is a 15 year veteran with ABC Imaging and the reprographics industry. She has been part of an implementation process that has opened ABC service bureaus across the country including Boston, Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Houston. Charity's client base includes some of the most prestigious architectural and engineering firms. Her area of expertise is onsite outsourcing and color management solutions and her current focus is developing her client base on the West Coast. Charity Craig and ABC Imaging have been sponsoring the New York AIA Technology Forum for the past six years and are honored to be a partner in the Los Angeles lecture series. To subscribe to the The Los Angeles Design Technology Forum mailing list, visit us at ladesigntech.org For general enquiries, please email general@ladesigntech.org