Nick Puckett—whose work focuses on the design of embedded intelligent systems and methods for injecting digital, electrical, and material technologies into the design process—is at the environmental design faculty (EVDS) this week to give the Taylor Visiting Lectureship; an intensive one-week workshop for senior students. The lectureship was established to honour Dale Taylor, a past director of the department’s architecture program.
Puckett is an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky where he holds the first ever joint faculty position with the Department of Architecture and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Puckett’s firm, AltN Research + Design, works with architects, designers, artists, chemical engineers, roboticists, and computer scientists to radically expand the toolset of designers. He leveraged the knowledge of academics and vast open source networks to continually push what is considered possible for designers to employ as design, display, and fabrication tools.
“Nick’s work is on the cutting-edge of integrating material science and digital processes for the creation of more highly interactive and responsive environments,” says associate professor Jason Johnson. “We are pleased to host Nick and some of his work here at the university as part of our continuing commitment to educating future environmental design professionals.”
Puckett will present publicly on Thursday, Feb. 23 at the downtown campus from 7-8:30 p.m. as part of the Design Matters Lecture Series.
His presentation will explore how architects must now understand how behaviors, response and interface shape our physical world in new ways. Design is no longer the shaping of inert material, as the systems created can now think and act on their own.
Admission is $5, students are free.
An exhibit of Puckett’s work and the results of the week-long seminar will open Friday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. in the Kasian Gallery (Professional Faculties room 2182). Everyone is welcome.