If you’re interested in learning more about the future of building materials in architecture, we have some exciting news: Leslie Lok will speak at Architizer Future Fest this September!
As a cofounder of HANNAH, one of the world’s most forward-thinking architecture firms, Leslie will take to the Future Fest Stage to present her ideas on how innovations in materials and construction techniques will influence how we build. The virtual live talk is scheduled to take place on September 28, and is 100% free for attendees. Register to attend Leslie’s presentation during our biggest ever celebration of architectural innovation:
Leslie Lok is a co-founder at HANNAH and an assistant professor at Cornell University Department of Architecture. Her experimental design practice, HANNAH utilizes innovative forms of construction to advance building practices. The work aims to mine the tension between machine means and architectural ends. At Cornell, Leslie directs the Rural-Urban Building Innovation Lab. Working with non-standardized material and biomaterial, her research and teaching explore the intersection of technology, novel material methods, and urbanization. By studying regional behaviors from spatial transformation to material resources, her work contextualizes design strategies with computational protocols and technologies to customize unique needs for local communities.
Top right: Ashen Cabin, Ithaca, NY; bottom left: Ashen Cabin, Ithaca, NY; photos by Andy Chen
HANNAH is the recipient of the 2020 Architectural League Prize, named Best New Practices 2021 by Archdaily, and named Next Progressives by Architect Magazine in 2018. Leslie also currently serves on the ACADIA’s board of directors. Her work has been published internationally at FABRICATE, Rob|Arch, and ACADIA, as well as featured in Architectural Record, ARCHITECT Magazine, the New York Times, Dwell, and others. Her contributions were exhibited at the Total Museum of Contemporary Art in South Korea, 2020 International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, 2019 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture in Shenzhen, Art OMI, and the Momentary. Leslie received her Master of Architecture at MIT.
During her presentation entitled “Material Revolutions in Architecture”, Leslie will seek to answer important questions about the future of building techniques and materials in architecture. How will 3D printing affect architectural design? To what extent will automation be used in building construction? How can new technologies recycle and reuse “waste” material? Leslie will draw from the example set by HANNAH’s Ashen Cabin project, a small cabin made of 3D printed concrete and upcycled Emerald-Ash-Borer-infested ‘waste wood’. The cabin serves as prototype for fundamentally new material methods and forms of construction, opening the door to radically new architectural design languages.
For a running list of speakers and more information on upcoming events, check out the Future Fest website, and register to receive invitations to each live talk in September:
Top image: Ashen Cabin by HANNAH, Ithaca, NY, 2022 A+Award Finalist in the Concepts – Architecture + New Technology and Details – Plus – Architecture + New Materials categories; photo by Andy Chen