Design-Tech Talk 9.0

Topic: Design-Tech Talk 9.0
Date: March 7 – 8, 2026
Time: 14:00 – 18:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (4 Hours)
Registration Deadline: March 6th, 2026
Course Fee: Free
Total Seats: 500 seats
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Guests: Mathilde Marengo, Masaaki Miki, James Merrill, Jason Kelly Johnson, Volkan Alkanoglu, Federico La Russa.
Recordings: Recordings will be available for members afterward.

Introduction to Design-Tech Talk 9.0:

Step into the future of design innovation with Design-Tech Talk 9.0, a two-day online event exploring the evolving relationship between architecture, technology, and digital design.

Across a series of curated sessions, the event will examine how emerging technologies are reshaping creative practice, from AI-driven design workflows and computational thinking to digital fabrication and sustainable innovation. Each session will combine focused presentations with open discussions, connecting conceptual ideas to real-world design challenges.

Whether you are an architect, designer, researcher, or enthusiast, Design-Tech Talk offers a space to engage with current design intelligence, gain practical insights, and reflect on the tools and methodologies shaping the future of the built environment.

The Scope of Design-Tech Talk 9.0:

Design-Tech Talk 9.0 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, March 7th:

• Opening Session: 14:00-14:15 GMT
• 1st Speaker: Mathilde Marengo 14:15 – 15:15 GMT
• 2nd Speaker: James Merrill 15:30 – 16:30 GMT
• 3rd Speaker: Jason Kelly Johnson 16:45 – 17:45 GMT
• Closing Session: 17:45 – 18:00 GMT
  

Day 2, March 8th:

• Opening Session: 14:00-14:15 GMT
• 1st Speaker: Masaaki Miki 14:15 – 15:15 GMT
• 2nd Speaker:  Volkan Alkanoglu 15:30 – 16:30 GMT
• 3rd Speaker:  Federico La Russa 16:45 – 17:45 GMT
• Closing Session: 17:45 – 18:00 GMT

Guest Speakers:

Mathilde Marengo

Mathilde Marengo is an Australian – French – Italian PhD Architect. Specialised in Research and Academia, her work focuses on enabling spatial justice in cities by leveraging advanced technologies to bridge data gaps and support practitioners to make more informed decisions.

She has specifically focussed on the development of computer-aided methodologies for the practical implementation of ecological justice and mobility justice in urban design, this includes integrating the needs of more than humans and environmental systems, as well as investigating drivers urban vulnerability from an intersectional perspective through dynamic and evidence-based design processes. She is Head of Studio Operations at External Reference, an award-winning multidisciplinary design and architecture studio based in Barcelona, Spain.

The firm creates immersive and experiential spaces by blending architecture, visual arts, and digital tools, using a combination of traditional craftsmanship and advanced digital technologies like 3D printing to achieve unique and custom designs. She was previously at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia for over a decade as Head of Studies & Director of the Urban Sciences Lab, and she continues to teach there today. Her investigation is actuated through her role in several National and EU-funded research projects, as well as being published and exhibited internationally.

Masaaki Miki

Masaaki Miki is an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Igarashi User Interface Group. During this period, he made short-term research visits to the University of Bath and ETH Zurich, where he initiated his work on Airy’s stress function–based form-finding of shells. This research led to his first SIGGRAPH publication in 2015.

After gaining experience in architectural practice at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in Chicago (2015–2020), he returned to academia in Japan. Since then, he has published three additional SIGGRAPH papers on grid shell form-finding, now implemented as Rhinoceros and Grasshopper plugins. Bridging architecture, engineering, and geometry, he currently teaches Visual Structural Design and Architectural Geometry at the University of Tokyo.

James Merrill

James Merrill is an algorithmic visual artist based in Vermont, USA. He creates computational artwork, combining generative system design, mathematics, randomness, and real-world data to create infinitely unique systems. A third-generation artist, James has been creating digital artworks for over 25 years.

His work seeks to utilize technology to challenge assumptions about the nature of traditional art, and oftentimes starts as a program and ends as a physical artwork, drawn to extreme detail by robotic systems.

Jason Kelly Johnson

Jason Kelly Johnson is the lead artist and co-founding partner of FUTUREFORMS (IG: @futureformslab). Jason brings an expertise in computational design and advanced digital fabrication, produced through the lens of critical art production and public space advocacy.

Jason was born and raised in Canada. He received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University. Johnson is currently a tenured full Professor at the California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco, CA, where he is the Founding Director of the CCA Digital Craft Lab.

He also serves on the board of the Museum of Craft & Design in San Francisco. He has previously taught at the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, and Cornell University. 

Volkan Alkanoglu

Volkan Alkanoglu works at the intersection of art and design. Born in Turkey and raised in Germany, Alkanoglu attended the Peter Behrens School of Arts in Düsseldorf and Hochschule der Künste in Berlin before receiving a Master of Architectural Design at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London.

His creative focus lies in the exploration of futuristic designs through spatial, material, and technological innovations. Notable projects of his recent work have been installed in various metropolitan areas in the United States, including Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, and Washington D.C.

Within his academic background, Volkan Alkanoglu has served as the Director for Graduate Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA, and has been part of the design faculty at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, CA, and Harvard University, Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, MA. He holds the designation of LEED Accredited Professional in the USA.

Volkan Alkanoglu is actively engaged in commissioned projects across diverse locations, spanning California, Oregon, Colorado, Maryland, Florida, and Taiwan.

Federico La Russa

Federico Mario La Russa, PhD, is a Computational Designer and Project Manager at Maffeis Engineering, where he leads BIM and parametric workflows using Grasshopper, Revit, and Tekla for complex and lightweight structural systems, including textile and ETFE architectures. With over seven years of experience in computational design, he focuses on algorithmic design, free-form shape optimization, digital fabrication, and AI-driven engineering solutions.

Since 2018, his research and professional work have explored the intersection of computational design, digital surveying, and City Information Modeling, resulting in award-winning doctoral research and more than 25 international publications. His PhD investigated the integration of BIM, point clouds, machine learning, and urban-scale data environments.

Alongside his professional practice, Federico contributes to academic training and knowledge transfer as Lead Mentor at NovaTr and Lecturer at Politecnico di Milano (DISKILLS), teaching Grasshopper and parametric design methodologies for architecture and engineering.

Important Notes:

• The Design-Tech Talk 9.0 hosted by PAACADEMY will start at 14:00 (GMT) on Saturday, March 7th, 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.

Topic: Design-Tech Talk 9.0
Date: March 7 – 8, 2026
Time: 14:00 – 18:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (4 Hours)
Registration Deadline: March 6th, 2026
Course Fee: Free
Total Seats: 500 seats
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Guests: Mathilde Marengo, Masaaki Miki, James Merrill, Jason Kelly Johnson, Volkan Alkanoglu, Federico La Russa.
Recordings: Recordings will be available for members afterward.