Mar 19th 2019

JOHN OCHSENDORF: SPACE, TIME, AND STRUCTURE

Thursday, Apr 11, 2019

John Ochsendorf
Myron Goldsmith Memorial Lecture
"Space, Time and Structure" 6 p.m., S. R. Crown Hall, Center Core

Lauded structural engineer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, and MacArthur Fellow John Ochsendorf will be presenting “Space, Time, and Structure” at S. R. Crown Hall in the center core on April 11. In his lecture, Ochsendorf will discuss the need for closer collaboration between engineers and architects to design world-class buildings, the legacy of Myron Goldsmith and other notable architect-engineers from the twentieth century, and recent examples of award-winning structures designed by his research-oriented practice.

In his career Ochsendorf has utilized his expertise as a structural engineer and historian of construction to study and preserve ancient structures. Ochsendorf’s early studies examined ancient woven-fiber suspension bridges of the Inca empire, but lately he has turned his attention to masonry mechanics, researching the structural dynamics of masonry buildings. Through his research on historic structures, Ochsendorf uses insights gained to guide the construction of more sustainable structures in the future, thus connecting the dots between ancient and modern architecture.

Ochsendorf has also collaborated on some particularly impressive structures, including the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre in Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa, as well as the memorial to MIT Police Officer Sean Collier at the university’s campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The former was shortlisted for an Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and the latter won a citation from the BSA Design Awards.

This lecture is a part of the Endowed Myron Goldsmith Memorial Fund. If you’d like to donate to the fund, click here.