Architecture professor to participate in design lecture series and workshop

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Felecia Davis, assistant professor of architecture and director of the Computational Textiles Lab (SoftLab) in the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing at Penn State, has been invited to participate in the upcoming Design Matters Lecture Series and Workshop at the University of Calgary.

As the recipient of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape’s Dale Taylor Visiting Lectureship, Davis will present “New World Structures” at 5 p.m. on March 11. The lecture is part of an intensive weeklong workshop that Davis is offering on responsive fiber composite structures.

In her talk, Davis will discuss new research on responsive fiber composite structures that integrate conductive fibers. These are lightweight, foldable structures that can respond to input from the environment. 

“If one can introduce integral conductive yarn to base fiberglass, then the fabric itself — which has integrated electronics — can connect to the larger internet of things, or sense and communicate other properties to people using the structure, such as temperature or carbon dioxide pollution,” explained Davis. “These capacities would permit applications that would allow people to have a wireless connection or other functions, for example, embedded into fiber composite, lightweight structures. Such integral functions could be useful in emergency shelters or shelters in places that are not connected to a main power grid.” 

The Design Matters Lecture Series provides an opportunity for students to hear from a wide range of designers, innovators and thought leaders that are exploring the edge of design and city building.

For more information on the lecture series, or to purchase tickets, visit https://live-sapl.ucalgary.ca/whats-happening/designmatters.