Front is a cross-disciplinary design and façade consulting practice consisting of creative individuals with professional backgrounds in architecture, structural engineering and mechanical engineering. Established in New York City in 2002, the firm has grown to a staff of nearly 30 people with offices in San Francisco, Seattle, and Hong Kong. Front is known widely for its successful execution of original and ground-breaking work, and for its progressive approach to design integration among building disciplines using building information modeling and other technologies.

Marc Simmons is founding partner of Front, and the Thomas W. Ventulett III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design at Georgia Tech. A leading advocate for innovative and critical practice, Simmons has produced seminal works in contemporary architecture including most recently:
the China Central Television Headquarters with OMA;
the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center with Renzo Piano Building Workshop;
the Dee and Charles Wyly Theater with REX;
the Yas Hotel with Asymptote; and
the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art with Sejima Nishizawa Associates.

Prior to establishing Front in 2002, Simmons worked for the international façade engineering practices Dewhurst Macfarlane & Partners and for Meinhardt Façade Technology. Originally trained in architecture, Simmons graduated from the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Canada, and worked for Foster and Partners. He served as faculty member at Princeton University School of Architecture from 2005 to 2012, conducting graduate seminars on the subject of façade technology and practice, and teaching collaborative design studios.  He has also lectured widely on the work of Front.

Come join us for what is sure to be an exciting presentation and discussion about Front's groundbreaking applications in BIM.