future cities lab

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Future Cities Lab is an interdisciplinary design and research collaborative bridging architecture and landscape urbanism with material sciences, robotics and engineering. FCL was initiated in 2004 by architects Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno. They are currently teaching at the CCA and UC Berkeley in San Francisco, and were the 2009 New York Prize Fellows at the Van Alen Institute in New York City. Additionally, Johnson and Gattegno served as the 2008-9 Oberdick and Muschenheim Fellows at the University of Michigan.

They have held full-time faculty positions at the University of Michigan, University of Virginia and UPenn, leading studios and research seminars in design, ecology, landscape urbanism, and advanced technologies. Their work was awarded Second Prize in the 2005 Seoul Performing Arts International Competition and received an Unbuilt Architecture Award from the Boston AIA. In the winter of 2008 the Extension Gallery for Architecture in Chicago mounted a solo-exhibition of their design and interactive work. In 2008 they were finalists in the History Channel’s “City of the Future” competition in Washington D.C. For more info see: “Architects Defy Convention With Experimental Designs”.

FCL work featured in two new Princeton Architecture Press books: “Subnature” by David Gissen (Amazon) and “Interactive Architecture” by Michael Fox and Miles Kemp (Amazon).

Recent News:
[3/5/10] Show: FCL will exhibit an interactive wall prototype in NYC as a part of the “Envelop{e}s” show curated by Christopher Hight from March 5 - May 5, 2010 at the Pratt Gallery (144 West 14th St in Chelsea). Other architects include: Servo, Michael Hensel / Ocean, HouMinn, Sean Lally / Weathers, Phillippe Rahm and more: LINK
[2/14/10] Workshops: Sensing the City with Arduino and Processing (co-taught with Wendy Ju) and Eco-Logics. Part of the CCA Formations Workshop Series.
[1/15/10] Show: FCL’s “Aurora Project” will be exhibited at the Research Through Making group show at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College Gallery opening Jan 15, 2010 at 5pm. Thank-you to Kyle Sturgeon for setting up our portion of the show.
[1/4/10] Workshop: Johnson + Andrew Kudless are collaborating with the Architectural Association EmTech program on a AA Global Visiting School to be hosted at CCA from July 12-21. “BioDynamic Structures” link
[11/01/09] Workshop: Gattegno + Johnson to lead “HyroUrbanism” summer program and workshops in Athens, Greece - May/June 2010.
[11/01/09] Show: FCL will participate in the Hong Kong + Shenzhen Biennale opening in Dec ‘09 - link
[11/01/09] Press: “Channeling the Arctic Through Luminescent Skins” AL Magazine - link
[10/31/09] Lecture: The University of Arizona in Tucson (Monday, 11/09 - 7pm)
[10/29/09] Press: FCL is featured on the cover of Architectural Record online; Read the AR2 article here
[10/01/09] Lecture: UPenn / PennDesign in Philadelphia - Jason K. Johnson “The Outer Limits” - “Contemporary Architecture Series” in Meyerson Upper Gallery (10/22 at 6pm);  [Other Fall '09 lectures: at CUNY CityTech in Brooklyn (10/14 at 6pm), The Van Alen Institute (10/15 at 6:30pm)]
[8/26/09] News: It is official: We are now a San Francisco based design practice. Our new office is at the base of Potrero Hill adjacent to China Basin and Dog Patch.
[7/01/09] Publication: FCL featured in a forthcoming book by David Gissen called SUBNATURE: Architecture’s Other Environments published by Princeton Architectural Press [preorder] ;
[6/05/09] Johnson + Gattegno begin NY Prize Residence at the Van Alen Institute NY - their interactive installations Aurora, Terra Incognita and the Glaciarium will open in mid-August 2009 ;
[6/01/09] FCL featured in a forthcoming book by Fox/Kemp called INTERACTIVE ARCHITECTURE published by PAP [preorder] ;
[4/09/09] Show: Johnson + Gattegno XEROMAX Fellows Show Opens at UMichigan TCAUP Architecture Gallery;
[3/30/09] Publication: FCL featured in new book Middle_Out edited by Jason Young;
[2/11/09] Lecture: FCL will participate and lecture at ecoweek in Athens, Greece and its Young Architects Forum + link;
[2/01/09] FCL receives a TCAUP “Research Through Making” grant for AURORA; [9/9/08] Upcoming installation and lecture at ACADIA 08 in Minneapolis;
[9/8/08] Johnson Studio and TCAUP to host a Generative Components workshop
[9/1/08] Johnson + Gattegno receive research/teaching fellowships from the UMich TCAUP;
[8/20/0] FCL advances to the next stage of the NY Arch League’s Situated Technologies competition;
[7/1/08] FCL featured in Architecture Record magazine for Aurora;
[7/1/08] Johnson and Gattegno begin work on the Metatropic Housing Colony and Xeroscape House;
[6/15/08] Johnson receives Graham Foundation grant supporting his “Robotic Ecologies” project;
[6/1/08] Johnson + Gattegno awarded the Van Alen Institute New York Prize for 2008-09.

XEROMAX Exhibition Opening images (below) from the 4/09/09 UMich TCAUP Fellow’s Show with Britt Eversole’s installation This Time is out of Joint.