The award-winning firm BuroHappold has announced that its partner Craig Schwitter has been invited to speak at the prestigious national conference of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) on how big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and new visualization tools are radically changing how buildings and structures are planned and designed.

In the session, “Designing in an Age of Technology, Data Visualization & AI,” Schwitter poses a question: “We're building smarter and faster. But are we leveraging technology to its fullest extent?” To illustrate the answer, the acclaimed engineer along with three collaboration partners present evidence and case studies showing that -- when it comes to the planning and building of neighborhoods, campuses, and cities -- the architecture and construction industries can serve as “strategic thought-leaders” relied upon by project owners, policymakers, real estate developers, and the public at large.

Schwitter’s panel, which includes a higher-education expert, shares surprising and convincing ways that new design tools and technology can make a meaningful impact on the world around us. Their key takeaway: By using AI, data visualization tools, and new programming methods and facilities assessment tools, firms like BuroHappold define radically smarter ways to plan and build in the future.

Among their benefits, “By leveraging AI and data visualization, the A/E community can better focus on outputs that are meaningful and impactful to our clients,” says Schwitter. Panelists for the talk include architect Portland, Ore.-based Jeff Yrazabal, AIA president of SRG Partnership; Don Weinreich, FAIA, a partner with Ennead Architects; and Tom Hier, founding principal of Biddison Hier, Ltd., a resource planning firm for colleges and universities.

About Craig Schwitter, P.E.
A partner who founded BuroHappold’s first North American office in New York City 20 years ago, Schwitter has helped lead the global firm in expanding to multiple cities throughout the United States and now totals nearly 240 staff regionally. Craig is a champion of integrated engineering and the appropriate use of technology, which allows his projects to be flexible, efficient, and engaging for users. Focused on creating innovative structures for the built environment, Craig has led the successful delivery of many iconic projects that have transformed cities throughout the world, including New York City’s High Line, a stretch of elevated rail line that was converted to a public park and has now become one of the most successful urban renewal projects in the City, as well as Harvard University’s new Science and Engineering Complex outside Boston which, when completed, will be among the most cutting-edge teaching and research facilities in the world.

Craig’s portfolio of signature engineering projects span across sectors – from cultural, higher education, and civic developments to transportation, stadia, and master planning initiatives. Recognized as a pioneering thought leader, Craig currently serves on the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Board, is a long-term industry advisor to the U.S. State Department, and he frequently speaks at national industry conferences and events. He also lectures at colleges and universities throughout the country, and is an Associate Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

About the Panel
On June 8th, a sellout audience will join Craig Schwitter and panelists Jeff Yrazabal, AIA, Don Weinreich, FAIA, and Tom Hier for "Designing in an Age of Technology, Data Visualization & AI” (session SA220), discussing “how new design tools and technology can help us make a meaningful impact on the world around us,” according to the AIA.

• Who: Craig Schwitter, P.E., and panel
• What: High-tech design methods, at AIA Conference on Architecture
• When: Saturday, June 8, 2018 at 11:30am
• Where: Las Vegas Convention Center, Room N115