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Summary
In this episode, hosts Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen sit down with David Mans, Director of AECtech at Thornton Tomasetti’s CORE studio, to explore the intersection of computational design, community building, and hands-on innovation in AEC.
- How computational and parametric design introduced the idea of discovery and surprise into the architectural design process
- Why the hackathon format works: constrained time, self-forming teams, and cross-disciplinary collaboration
- Standout hackathon projects, including the prototype that became Rhino Compute and an agent-based consultant negotiation tool
- Career paths for technologists in AEC and how senior leaders who started in computational design are now shaping firm culture
- The importance of reflection and downtime in an era focused on automation and speed
David Mans
Director of AECtech at Thornton Tomasetti’s CORE studio.
David oversees the AECtech conference series, which now runs five events per year across the globe, bringing together professionals from architecture, engineering, construction, software, and AI to explore emerging technologies through hackathons, workshops, and symposiums. David is also the author of over 20 Grasshopper plugins, a Visiting Associate Professor at Pratt Institute, and formerly the Senior Computational Designer at Grimshaw Architects, where David worked on projects including the award-winning Dubai Expo 2020 Sustainability Pavilion, Terra.
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Thornton Tomasetti CORE StudioConnect with David Mans
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