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Design-Tech Talk 8.0

Amer FaraonNovember 14, 20255 Mins read1.5k

Topic: Design-Tech Talk 8.0
Date: January 10 – 11, 2026
Time: 14:00 – 18:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (4 Hours)
Registration Deadline: January 9th, 2026
Course Fee: Free
Total Seats: 500 seats
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Guests: Edoardo Tibuzzi, Daniel Koehler, Ana Gabriela Loayza, Aldo Sollazzo, Lucas Epp. More information about the guest speakers will be added soon.
Recordings: Recordings will be available for members afterward.

Introduction to Design-Tech Talk 8.0:

Step into the future of design innovation with Design-Tech Talk 8.0, a two-day online event bringing together the world’s leading thinkers and creators at the crossroads of architecture, technology, and digital design.

Explore how emerging technologies are transforming creative practice—spanning AI-driven design workflows, computational thinking, digital fabrication, and sustainable innovation. Each session will feature a thought-provoking presentation from industry experts, followed by discussions that bridge conceptual exploration with real-world application.

Whether you’re an architect, designer, researcher, or enthusiast eager to understand the technologies shaping tomorrow’s built environment, Design-Tech Talk will offer inspiring insights, practical knowledge, and a glimpse into the evolving landscape of design intelligence.

The Scope of Design-Tech Talk 8.0:

Design-Tech Talk 8.0 will feature engaging live Q&A sessions, where attendees can directly interact with the speakers and explore the more profound implications of design. These discussions will allow participants to share ideas and learn from leaders’ experiences at the cutting edge of architectural and technological innovation. The event aims to foster a collaborative environment for learning and networking.

This event is ideal for anyone interested in the intersection of architecture, technology, and design. Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding of parametric design, learn about the latest computational tools, or discover how AI is shaping the future of the design industry, this talk will offer valuable insights and inspiration. Learn from industry pioneers and explore the future of design technology.

Program:

Day 1, January 10th:

Opening Session: 14:00-14:15 GMT
1st Speaker: Edoardo Tibuzzi 14:15 – 15:15 GMT
2nd Speaker: Daniel Koehler 15:30 – 16:30 GMT
3rd Speaker: Lucas Epp 16:45 – 17:45 GMT
Closing Session: 17:45 – 18:00 GMT

Day 2, January 11th:

Opening Session: 14:00-14:15 GMT
1st Speaker: Aldo Sollazzo 14:15 – 15:15 GMT
2nd Speaker: Ana Gabriela Loayza 15:30 – 16:30 GMT
Closing Session: 16:30 – 16:45 GMT

Guest Speakers:

Edoardo Tibuzzi

Edoardo is Design Director at AKTII and specialises in complex design, leading the applied research team. His portfolio includes The Vessel, a complex, high-profile collaboration with Heatherwick Studio in New York, the Heydar Aliyev Museum in Baku with Zaha Hadid Architects, and the Bloomberg Headquarters with F+P.

Ed has been involved in several collaborations with KTH University in Stockholm, the AA and the RCA in London, and the Harvard GSD, where he is currently running various lectures and workshops. He published various papers and books on digital fabrication, sustainable design, new technologies, and material research.

Daniel Koehler

Compositional Intelligence: Architectural Typology Through Generative AI

Daniel Koehler, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the Board of Directors of ACADIA. He leads the Lab for Environmental Design Strategies (lab‑eds) with research sites in Austin, Shenzhen, and Innsbruck, focusing on Generative AI, environmental performance, and architectural typology.

Formerly a researcher at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, and the University of Innsbruck, he completed his doctorate on part‑to‑whole methodologies, later published as The Mereological City (transcript / Columbia UP, 2016), now a standard reference on mereology in modernism. Koehler’s work has been exhibited internationally at the Centre Pompidou, the Venice Architecture Biennale, and in Prague, Milan, Montreal, London, and Austin.

He consults for computational‑design startups such as Sengine AI. His recent book Compositional Intelligence (Routledge) positions Generative AI as an intellectual partner for rethinking architectural typology across scales.

Ana Gabriela Loayza

Ana Gabriela Loayza is an architect and designer currently working as an Architectural Designer & AI Lead at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in New York.

She holds an M.Arch II degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), where her research explored AI-driven design workflows and urban growth boundaries in projects such as Center–Periphery: Encoding New Processes in Shenzhen’s Boundaries.

At BIG, she specialises in integrating computational design and artificial intelligence within architectural practice, leveraging her expertise at the intersection of emerging technologies and built-environment innovation.

Aldo Sollazzo

Aldo Sollazzo is an Italian entrepreneur and innovator, an expert in robotics, computer vision, and computational design. He has been the CEO of Noumena since 2011, a data-driven company implementing computer vision and machine learning to study and analyze spatial dynamics.

As part of the Noumena Group, he is also the CEO of PURE.TECH, a material-driven company operating to promote sustainability at the industrial scale, and of LAMÁQUINA, a large-scale 3D printing factory, shaping new architectural solutions integrating advanced manufacturing and computation.

At the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya in Barcelona, he is the Director of the Master’s in Robotics and Advanced Construction.

In 2019 Aldo received, from the Italian President of the Republic, the title of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy for the promotion of national prestige abroad as a recognition of his scientific and technological activities.

Aldo has made many appearances as a guest speaker at Conferences and University Seminars, amongst them the European Conference on Computer Vision, Barcelona Urban Tech, Future City Summit, The Venice Biennale, and TEDx Barcelona.

Lucas Epp

Lucas Epp is a structural engineer whose work sits at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and craft.  His work advances timber and natural materials as primary, high-performance structural systems – from mass timber to long-span, free-form geometries.  He has pioneered modern all-wood structural systems and joinery techniques at the new National Performing Arts Centre in Barbados and the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Kansas, blending ancient craft with state-of-the-art computational design and robotics – and opening new possibilities for timber architecture.

In 2021, he founded Branch, an in-house software venture creating the next generation of digital tools for structural design-to-manufacture, informed by direct feedback from engineers, fabricators, and field crews.

Epp has practiced across the UK, New Zealand, China, the United States, and Canada. He has taught at ETH Zurich, the Architectural Association, and MIT; serves on Canadian and American timber code committees; and has authored multiple industry guidelines. His practice points toward a near future in which structural engineering, fabrication, and software merge – a return to the master builder mindset.

More information about the guest speakers will be added soon.

Important Notes:

The Design-Tech Talk 8.0 hosted by PAACADEMY will start at 14:00 (GMT) on Saturday, January 10th, 2026.
Total sessions: 2 Sessions
The event will be recorded, and videos will be available for members just a day after the event for an unlimited time.
The event will be hosted on Zoom.
PAACADEMY will provide a certificate of attendance.