SCI-Arc Opens Fabrication and Robotics Initiative in Shanghai

SCI-Arc graduate Steven Ma (M.Arch '08), principal and founder of China-based 3D printing design brand Xuberance, will lead an eight-week, full-time satellite initiative this fall in Shanghai and Seoul. The SCI-Arc Shanghai Asia Initiative is a fabrication and design curriculum for students interested in additive manufacturing, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and robotics in architecture and design. The program also provides potential to jumpstart a graduate education at SCI-Arc, and entrance scholarships to individuals recognized for top performance over the course of the initiative.

Designed for students, architects, designers, artists, and individuals of all background, the initiative will engage participants with new techniques of complex geometric modeling in digital design, advanced fabrication techniques, and robotics. Studios will combine 3D printing, industrial design engineering, and complex digital sculpting and modeling as a means for design inquiry in both concept and practice. Steven Ma will lead the 3D printing and modeling studio; Jaeheon Jung will lead the AR/VR studio; and Hao Meng will lead the robotic fabrication studio. Visiting SCI-Arc faculty will include Hernan Diaz Alonso, Elena Manferdini, Tom Wiscombe, and David Ruy.

Participants who earn a certificate of completion from SCI-Arc will be eligible to apply to SCI-Arc’s Master of Architecture program for fall 2017. This initiative also includes a cultural study seminar with field trips, a portfolio preparation seminar and English as Second Language (ESL) class. The deadline to apply is October 18.

Reciprocal initiatives in Mexico, South America, and Europe—key sites for pedagogy, scholarship, and advanced architectural discourse and exchange—are also being coordinated.

Learn more about the SCI-Arc Asia Initiative.