Design x Technology Lecture: Ralph Kirk Nelson

Join Lawrence Technological University’s College of Architecture and Design on Thursday, April 11th, 2024 at 12:30pm ET for another innovative Spring 2024 Design x Technology Lecture.

In this presentation CoAD associate professor, Ralph Kirk Nelson will present preliminary findings of a design research project exploring the contemporary expression of operational energy in architecture.

Framed in historical context, the expression of energy in building design was always an architectural responsibility through to the early 20th Century. The long legacy of burning wood (fireplaces and chimneys for every building) gave way to coal, oil, and natural gas to sustain buildings while silently emitting toxins. By mid-century the technological advancement in power, heating, and cooling systems soon relegated energy elements to locked rooms and concealed rooftops. Engineers took professional command of these systems and architects were mostly content to keep them out of sight, and for good and dangerous reasons. With our 21st Century shift from burning fuel to renewable technologies underway, architects now have an opportunity to reengage the architectural expression of energy. How is the intensity of energy use realized architecturally? This lecture will present designs for large building-integrated photovoltaic arrays, sized to meet the energy needs of common building use types defined by the U.S. Department of Energy as high in operational energy demands and emissions. Each design is configured to meet performance benchmarks for both energy and architectural integrity, as buildings transform from being masks of shrouded consumption to public faces of energetic production.

This lecture will:

• address a brief history of energy expression in architecture, from burning to harvesting.
• define architectural implications of operational energy and decentralized electrification.
• present application of energy generation systems, through the architectural transformation of common building use types.

This lecture is free and open to the public. As part of CoAD’s Design x Technology Lecture Series, guests may watch online or on campus. Register for the location/viewing details.

CEU: This lecture equals 1 professional architecture credit. To prepare for any potential audit, we suggest you register for this lecture and hold onto your confirmation. Upon verification of attendance, CoAD will supply a certificate of completion. When you request a certificate, you must send us your lecture confirmation so keep that information handy.

ABOUT: Ralph Nelson is an Associate Professor at Lawrence Technological University and founding principal of Loom, an architectural practice based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His teaching focuses on architectural design synthesis and the integration of contemporary building technologies. His practice is recognized for work that utilizes a minimum of resources to maximum effect, and has received regional and national design awards including three Progressive Architecture Awards and an R+D award. He is the co-author of Digital Vernacular (2015) addressing the relationship of digital tools and vernacular design principles. He received a B.Arch from the University of Minnesota and a M.Arch from Yale University