Sustaining architecture: bit by bit, Peter Ortner / SUTD

Measuring and improving the sustainable performance of our cities is the most urgently voiced concern of the design professions today — and yet always seemingly out of reach. Bit by bit, architecture is being transformed by a digital process of assessment targeting greener, less carbon. This lecture shares critical (and technical) reflections from recent work on several scales of data-driven sustainable design - ranging from urban design optimization to web-based participatory design and product design for circularity.

The hybrid lecture is organized by the Media and Design Lab. The lecture and discussion will be on Monday 2nd October, 11:00 – 12:00, and will be streamed at SG Foyer and online. 

F. Peter Ortner is Assistant Professor and MArch and Ph.D. coordinator for Architecture and Sustainable Design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Peter’s research leverages computational techniques to create sustainable architecture and urban design. His current research introduces optimization into the process of design for circularity, augmenting the ability of the architect to contribute to zero-waste, carbon-neutral cities. Predicting urban metabolism data for urban design scenarios is another ongoing research pursuit. In recent research, Peter has applied computational design to the challenges of urban resilience and automated mobility. His doctoral research built on insights from critical data studies and computational design to elucidate the changing role of architecture and architect in complex, data-driven urban systems.

Peter received a PhD from EPFL, where his doctoral thesis was nominated for the EPFL and City of Lausanne prizes. At EPFL, Peter was a collaborator with Media x Design Lab, a cross-disciplinary team of designers and computer scientists. He holds a Master’s in Architecture from Harvard University, where he was recipient of the Faculty Design Award, and a Bachelor of Arts cum laude with distinction in architecture from Yale University. Peter has practiced architecture in the United States and Switzerland.

https://fportner.com/