{"128041":{"#nid":"128041","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Marc Simmons of Front Named Ventulett Chair in Architectural Design at Georgia Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe School of Architecture at Georgia Tech has appointed Marc Simmons to the Thomas W. Ventulett III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design. In this capacity, Simmons, founding partner of international design and fa\u00e7ade consulting practice Front, will advance the School\u2019s teaching and research in emerging modes of architectural practice and lead collaborative ventures with students and faculty in architecture and related disciplines at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA leading advocate for innovative and critical practice, Simmons has produced seminal works in contemporary architecture including most recently:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe China Central Television Headquarters with OMA;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center with Renzo Piano Building Workshop;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe Dee and Charles Wyly Theater with REX;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe Yas Hotel with Asymptote; and\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art with Sejima Nishizawa Associates.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn international search resulted in Simmons\u2019 selection in large part due to the strong alignment between his expertise and the School of Architecture\u2019s aspirations for uniting design and technological innovation. His firm, 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.\u0026nbsp; Front\u2019s work methodology embraces architectural, engineering and cultural challenges with a first-principles approach for the evolution of creative and buildable designs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe digital-age practice of architecture will rise on creative contact between design and research across fields and disciplinary boundaries,\u201d said George Johnston, chair of the School of Architecture. \u201cWe at Georgia Tech are ambitious in charting this direction, and I am certain Marc Simmons and Front will become powerful catalysts in this endeavor.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Thomas W. Ventulett III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design is made possible by a generous endowment created in honor of Georgia Tech alumnus Tom Ventulett, founding partner of tvsdesign in Atlanta. The intention of the Ventulett Chair is to engage an exceptional practitioner with a record of international leadership and excellence in architecture to teach in the School and to develop significant initiatives to heighten the critical importance of design in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, nationally and internationally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt is a privilege to be named Ventulett Chair and to be afforded the opportunity to engage Georgia Tech\u2019s robust educational and research platform for the experimental deployment of ideas and lessons evolved by Front through years of innovative practice,\u201d said Simmons. \u201cWe look forward to working with students, faculty and the broader design community to execute studio, seminar and symposium formats that critically engage issues of the contemporary envelope.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrior to establishing Front in 2002, Simmons worked for the international fa\u00e7ade engineering practices Dewhurst Macfarlane \u0026amp; Partners and for Meinhardt Fa\u00e7ade 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 fa\u00e7ade technology and practice, and teaching collaborative design studios.\u0026nbsp; He has also lectured widely on the work of Front.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrevious holders of the Ventulett Chair include Monica Ponce de Leon, now dean of the Taubman College of Architecture at the University of Michigan, Nader Tehrani, founder of architectural firm NADAAA and professor and head of the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT, and Lars Spuybroek, founder of art and architecture design firm Nox, and currently a full professor in the School of Architecture at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlan Balfour, dean of the Georgia Tech College of Architecture, commented, \u201cMarc Simmons\u2019 practice offers a clear demonstration of the means by which the architect of the future can be empowered.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the School of Architecture at Georgia Tech\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EGeorgia Tech has a proud heritage in architectural education, closely linking applied technology and fine arts since 1908. Today, the School of Architecture is a leading producer of new knowledge in architectural design and houses advanced research, studio and lab facilities. Its 30 full-time faculty and approximately 475 graduate and undergraduate students exploit the creative tensions between research and design to drive innovation in the field of architecture. Visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.arch.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ewww.arch.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E for more information.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the College of Architecture at Georgia Tech\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EThe Georgia Tech College of Architecture has been a leader in design innovation since 1908. Students, faculty and researchers in the Schools of Architecture, Building Construction, City and Regional Planning, Industrial Design and Music work across boundaries to advance knowledge of designed environments at all scales. The College fosters a culture of creativity and progressive thinking, and frequently hosts interdisciplinary performances, exhibitions, lectures and symposia. One of the top three producers of research among colleges of architecture and the arts, the College houses five interdisciplinary research centers and more than 20 research groups conducting projects that range from creating better simulation models for predicting building efficiency to developing new assistive technologies and more effective healthcare environments. Visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.coa.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ewww.coa.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E for more information.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Front\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EEstablished in 2002, Front is a specialist design and fa\u00e7ade consulting practice of 30 staff, based in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Hong Kong. Front are specialists in architectural fa\u00e7ade systems for new construction and adaptive re-use, including bespoke curtain wall, hybrid cladding systems and the use of structural glass and related lightweight structures. Front\u2019s portfolio of work ranges in size and complexity and includes large-scale high-rise projects, public and cultural institutions, additions to historically sensitive sites, as well as custom designed work for private residences and artists.\u0026nbsp; Visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.frontinc.com\/\u0022\u003Ewww.frontinc.com\u003C\/a\u003E for more information.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Simmons is founding partner of international design and fa\u00e7ade consulting practice Front"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe School of Architecture at Georgia Tech has appointed Marc Simmons to the Thomas W. Ventulett III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27213","created_gmt":"2012-05-03 10:25:21","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:09","author":"Teri Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-05-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-05-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"128051":{"id":"128051","type":"image","title":"Marc Simmons","body":null,"created":"1449178622","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:02","changed":"1475894751","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:51","alt":"Marc Simmons","file":{"fid":"194560","name":"img-20120501-00381.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img-20120501-00381_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img-20120501-00381_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":867845,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img-20120501-00381_0.jpg?itok=a72q0lUj"}},"128111":{"id":"128111","type":"image","title":"Yas Hotel","body":null,"created":"1449178622","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:02","changed":"1475894751","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:51","alt":"Yas Hotel","file":{"fid":"194565","name":"datum_kl_-_949.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/datum_kl_-_949_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/datum_kl_-_949_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1963361,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/datum_kl_-_949_0.jpg?itok=ebd9iQZU"}},"128071":{"id":"128071","type":"image","title":"Toledo Museum","body":null,"created":"1449178622","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:02","changed":"1475894751","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:51","alt":"Toledo Museum","file":{"fid":"194561","name":"toledo_museum_-_ventulett_-_45.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/toledo_museum_-_ventulett_-_45_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/toledo_museum_-_ventulett_-_45_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1472716,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/toledo_museum_-_ventulett_-_45_0.jpg?itok=A1HItXYy"}},"128101":{"id":"128101","type":"image","title":"Dee and Charles Wyly Theater","body":null,"created":"1449178622","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:02","changed":"1475894751","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:51","alt":"Dee and Charles Wyly Theater","file":{"fid":"194564","name":"datum_kl_-_899.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/datum_kl_-_899_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/datum_kl_-_899_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":293257,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/datum_kl_-_899_0.jpg?itok=9sJypfEA"}}},"media_ids":["128051","128111","128071","128101"],"groups":[{"id":"1221","name":"College of Design"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"926","name":"College of Architecture"},{"id":"32501","name":"marc simmons"},{"id":"167177","name":"School of Architecture"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:teri.nagel@coa.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETeri Nagel\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech College of Architecture\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}