August 12, 2019 Guerguis Wins Prestigious Residency at Autodesk
Assistant Professor of Architecture Maged Guerguis traveled to Erfurt, Germany, during the summer of 2019 to exhibit the design of AMIE (Additive Manufacturing and Integrated Energy) at the fourth annual 3D Pioneers Challenge (3DPC) and came away with a coveted international fellowship residency with Autodesk. 3DPC is an international competition that brings together experts in additive manufacturing technologies who present projects that go beyond ordinary thinking.
AMIE is one of these forward-thinking projects that was completed in 2015 within the Governor’s Chair for Energy + Urbanism program, a partnership of the College of Architecture and Design, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. AMIE is one of the largest 3D-printed polymer structures in the world with the ability to produce, store and share solar power with a 3D-printed hybrid vehicle. This concept can potentially enhance the resiliency and cost effectiveness of two major challenging demands in our cities worldwide, namely housing and transportation. AMIE has won numerous national and international awards.
Guerguis played a major role in the design of AMIE and created the exhibit for the 3D Pioneers Challenge in Germany. After being named a finalist from multiple submissions from 23 countries and five continents, the innovative project was one of three finalists chosen for a special mention by Autodesk. This opportunity includes a fellowship residency for Guerguis to join the highly regarded Autodesk Technology Centers Residence program in San Francisco, Boston or Toronto. Undergraduate Research Assistant Brian Nachtrab, 3rd-year Architecture student, helped assemble the exhibition model.
The Autodesk residency program provides workspaces for industry, academic and startups who work on future-oriented projects in construction, manufacturing and emerging technologies. Residency winners are given reserved spaces for projects in one of Autodesk’s technology centers and access to advanced fabrication equipment and training, industry experts and the Autodesk resources.
“The AMIE research project was a learning tool for our graduate and undergraduate students, scientists, researchers, practitioners and a highly diverse network of numerous industry partners,” Guerguis said. “Using advanced technologies available in our Fab Lab, AMIE’s developers taught our curious and innovative students, preparing them as next-generation designers for the day when 3D printing becomes an industry standard for construction.”
