Speaking Experience
Worldbuilding with Architecture
This lecture features a variety of built and virtual environments that demonstrate the potential for spaces to tell stories. The talk is about 45 minutes long and was designed for professional game designers. I walk through ways games tackle familiar architectural problems under a variety of different contexts. We walk through ways architecture can “show-not-tell” your story by dissecting the decision making processes of architects.
Building Stories: Castles
An interactive lecture that dives into the way pop culture has curated the modern understanding of a castle. Audience members were given 5 minutes before the talk to draw a castle. We go through a variety of built structures, ranging from structures royals could live in to theme park attractions, evaluating the theoretical goals that have maintained over time.
10 Ways to Turn your BIM model into a Visual Storyteller
A 60 minute lecture for AIA Cleveland on technology used to deliver design-forward buildings. These range from low-tech to high tech and emphasize the importance of designing a workflow to work with a team. We also take a quick look at what technology (hardware and software) has been developed for entertainment industries recently. These recent upgrades lay the groundwork for why something that was previously too cumbersome of a workflow may now be available at a lower cost. It also indicates which industries to watch if there is currently a technology that seems a bit too labor intensive to commit to on a current project.
Designing a Canvas for Projection
A 90 minute lecture for Chatham University on the functional role of architecture in fiction. Case studies were pulled from books, games, animations, films, and the built environment to demonstrate the value of architecture with a story to tell. We also look at the literary devices that are used to tell stories and the way that can be demonstrated through spatial design.
The talk also looks at the subtle symbolism that can help with foreshadowing and the difference between portraying that with a persistent space versus a dynamic space.
Building Stories: Lairs
Lecture on the way film sets, specifically lairs, embody the spirit of the time and have successfully fueled new styles and movements moving forward. These designs demonstrate the value and impact of fictional architecture on society. The desire and expectation for environments to provide insight into a character’s development is best exemplified by these unique “live-work“ structures.