AKI ISHIDA
Architect & Educator
NEWS & EVENTS
NOMAS Talk: Finding Your Professional Path in the Architectural Field
November 9, 2021
National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) at Virginia Tech Invited C.L. Bohannon, Miranda Shugars, and Isaac Mangual, and me to to an open dialogue among students around the question of finding your professional path in the architectural field.
Lecture "Healing Glass: Public Health and Transparency of Sanatorium Zonnestraal"
September 16, 2021
I will give the third lecture in our school's architecture faculty lecture series of Fall 2021. The talk, titled Healing Glass: Public Health and Transparency of Sanatorium Zonnestraal, will take place in Hancock Auditorium on Thursday, September 16th at 2PM (ET).
2021 ACSA/AISC Steel Design Student Competition Jury
September 10, 2021
It was an honor to serve on the jury for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) on their annual Steel Design Student Competition. Fellow jurors in the Work Wellness category were Shaina Saporta of Arup and Sara Carr of Northeastern University. Congratulations to the winners!
Healthcare design collaboration with Steelcase wins CORE77 Design Award
July 15, 2021
A healthcare design project by Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology received a 2021 CORE77 Design Award Strategy and Research category Runner-Up award. I led the design on the project “Reimagining Medical Workspaces: Information Ecosystems for Future Nurse Stations,” a collaboration between faculty and students from Architecture, Engineering, Psychology; Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA; and furniture manufacturer Steelcase.
Article "Imprints of an Invisible Virus" recommended by the Society of Architectural Historians
July 2021
The article “Imprints of an Invisible Virus: How Airborne Diseases Change Cities” in The Plan Journal, Vol. 5, Issue 2: Healthy Urbanism (Fall 2020) was recommended and quoted in the Society of Architectural Historians' Booklist and Reader’s Advisory July 2021 issue.
Article "Imprints of an Invisible Virus" selected as Runner-up for 2020 The Plan Journal Best Paper Award
July 2021
The article “Imprints of an Invisible Virus: How Airborne Diseases Change Cities” was selected by the Editorial Advisory Board of The Plan Journal as the second place in the Best Paper Award, chosen from all articles published in the two 2020 issues.
2021 Rapson Traveling Fellowship Prize Jury
April 9, 2021
It was a delight to serve on the jury of the 2021 Rapson Traveling Fellowship Prize honoring the late Ralph Rapson, FAIA of Minnesota. This partially endowed fellowship awards young Minnesota architectural graduates or practitioners $10,000 to $12,000 to advance their education in architecture through foreign or domestic travel-study, Congratulations to the winner David Wilson, AIA!
Hokie Circles project in VT News
April 2, 2021
Virginia Tech published "Students design safe-distancing circles for community," a story on the Hokie Circle social distancing project led by students Joon Kang and Kirat Pandher. I served as their advisor.
Presentation at International Perspectives on the Future of Architecture and Urbanism in the Post-COVID Age virtual conference
January 29, 2021
I presented my paper "Protective Barriers in US Cities During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic" at the International Perspectives on the Future of Architecture and Urbanism in the Post-COVID Age virtual conference. The event was organized by the Epidemic Urbanism Initiative (EUI) co-founded by Dr. Mohammad Gharipour and Dr. Caitlin DeClercq.
Article “Imprints of an Invisible Virus: How Airborne Diseases Change Cities” in The Plan Journal
December 2020
Article “Imprints of an Invisible Virus: How Airborne Diseases Change Cities” is published in The Plan Journal. Once a clinical cure for COVID-19 is found, which infection prevention practices – both social and spatial – might remain, and what long-term impacts will they leave? This article examines the interrelationships between airborne diseases, social practices, and the design of physical and digital infrastructures for cities.
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3M publishes story on collaboration with Virginia Tech on Hokie Circles
October 26, 2020
3M, who donated reflective materials for the Hokie Circles project, published the story "How human connections helped create Hokie Circles" about their collaboration with the Virginia Tech design team. Thank you to the three VT alumni at 3M who were instrumental in finding the right materials and donating them to us!
Hokie Circles wins a student-initiated COVID-19 response competition
August 20, 2020
A team of students I advised is one of five winners of the TECH Together campaign, which called upon the creativity and innovation of Virginia Tech students to implement real change that not only prevent the spread of COVID-19, but also provide comfort to students and faculty on campus. Joon Young Kang and Kirat Pandher initiated the project Graphic Redesign Graphics (now called Hokie Circles), which encourages social distancing through an immersive spatial experience - 6-foot spaced markings and directional indicators.
Book Blurred Transparencies in Contemporary Glass Architecture recommended by the Society of Architectural Historians
May 2020
The book Blurred Transparencies in Contemporary Glass Architecture (Routledge 2020) was selected for the Booklist and Reader’s Advisory of thee Society of Architectural Historians, May 2020. Barbara Opar, architecture librarian, Syracuse University Library, selected recently published architectural books and related works for the list.
Blurred Transparencies in Contemporary Glass Architecture published by Routledge
May 2020
I am excited to have my book Blurred Transparencies in Contemporary Glass Architecture: Material, Culture, and Technology is published by Routledge. The book brings to light complex readings of transparent glass through close observations of six pivotal works of architecture. Written from the perspectives of a practitioner, the six essays challenge assumptions about fragility and visual transparency of glass. The foreword is written by glass artist and my former employer James Carpenter.
2020 Laskey Charrette at the Washington University in St. Louis
January 26, 2020
I had the honor to serve as the moderator for the 2020 Laskey Charrette at the Sam Fox School at the Washington University in St. Louis. For this year's challenge, students were asked to create light modulating concrete walls. The Laskey Charrette honors Professor Emeritus Leslie J. Laskey and his singular approach to design education.
Book chapter in Ceilings and Dreams: the architecture of levity
August 12, 2019
Book chapter "Cracked but not Broken: Material and Culture of the Glass Ceiling," an essay on I.M. Pei's Javist Center and the metaphor of glass ceiling, was published in the book Ceilings and Dreams: the architecture of levity edited by Paul Emmons, Federica Goffi, and Jodi La Coe.
Perspectives on Careers in Creativity and Innovation
April 26, 2019
I served on a panel entitled Perspectives on Careers in Creativity and Innovation at ICAT (Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology) Creativity and Innovation Day at Virginia Tech. The panel, which included professors and students in STEAM fields, was moderated by Dr. Lisa McNair, director of the Center for Research on SEAD Education at Virginia Tech. The day showcased the university's latest innovations from Virginia Tech's Creativity Innovation District, a new community designed to foster creative process, from idea creation to commercialization.
2019 Fitzgibbon Charrette at the Washington University in St. Louis
March 22, 2019
I served as the moderator and jury chair for the 2019 Fitzgibbon Charrette, which took place March 22. Open to all juniors and seniors in architecture, the annual charrette celebrates architectural drawing through a one-day sketch problem where the students refine and further develop one of their studio drawings. The jury awarded the prize to senior Jenna Schnitzler.
Panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grants
January 2019
I have been appointed to serve as a panelist for the 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grants. Each year, NEA awards thousands of grants to provide everyone in the United States with diverse opportunities for arts participation. Our Town is NEA’s creative placemaking grants program. Through project-based funding, they support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes.
ACSA New Faculty Teaching Award 2017
February 2017
I am honored to be a recipient of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) 2016-2017 New Faculty Teaching Award. I will receive the award at the 105th ACSA Annual Meeting, March 23-25, in Detroit. This national-level award recognizes demonstrated excellence in teaching performance during the first ten academic semesters of a full-time architectural teaching career.
Natural Light & Architecture panel at Parsons School of Design
October 26, 2016
I presented "Transparent Ambiguity: SANAA's Glass Pavilion in Toledo" and participated in the Natural Light & Architecture panel at Parsons School of Design. Other panelists were Davidson Norris from Carpenter Norris Consulting and Star Davis from Arup. The event was hosted by Glenn Shrum, Director of Parsons Lighting Design program and principal of Flux Studio.
DesignIntelligence 25 Most Admired Educators for 2016
November 15, 2015
I am honored to be named by DesignIntelligence one of the 25 Most Admired Educators for 2016. Each year, DesignIntelligence honors excellence in education and education administration by naming 25 exemplary professionals in these fields. The 2016 class of education role models was selected by DesignIntelligence staff with extensive input from thousands of design professionals, academic department heads, and students.
Exhibit "Ground to Sky: Triptychs in Three Scales" opens at the Kibel Gallery of University of Maryland
January 27, 2015
My light installations will be on exhibit at the Kibel Gallery located in the University of Maryland's School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation from January 27 to July 1, 2015. A lecture on my recent work will be on February 11, 2015, 5:00 pm in the Architecture Building Auditorium, with a reception to follow in the gallery.
Panelist on the National Endowment for the Arts grant reviews
January 2015
I have been appointed to serve as a panelist for two reviews of the National Endowment for the Arts grants, 2015 fiscal year. One panel was for the Design grants, and the other for the Presenting and Multidisciplinary Works category. Each year, NEA awards thousands of grants to provide everyone in the United States with diverse opportunities for arts participation.
Making the Giraffe Path project wins a CORE77 award
July 16, 2014
The project Making the Giraffe Path, a collaboration with Lynnette Widder, I received a 2014 Core77 Design Award in the Strategy and Research category. The jury commented, "We have entered a new era of urban design where amenities like parks and public spaces are finally getting the professional attention they deserve. This project is a bold attempt to open up the design of an engaging trail way that would connect five Northern Manhattan urban parks in ways that could make them as collectively engaging as New York’s High Line or Chicago’s Millennium Park."
Lantern Field wins 2013 AL Design Award
August 2013
Lantern Field, an interactive light and sound art installation by my team from Virginia Tech's Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology, received an award from the Architectural Lighting magazine. The award, a Special Citation for Community Engagement with Light, was one of a dozen international winners.