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Hi !

I am an argentine architectural educator with a background in design and technology. I examine the impact of disruptive technologies on architectural typologies. Below you can learn about pedagogy, methodology, inquiries, syllabuses, case studies, and timeline.

Take a work sample and reach out!

Architecture and Technology
Research and Pedagogy

Pedagogy

Building Typology
Disrupting Application
New Typology

The rapid proliferation of digital applications in society has brought about significant changes and reflections in the field of architecture. Architects need to have a comprehensive understanding of the current and potential disruptions that these technologies have and can bring to building typologies. This understanding is crucial in order to create critical architectures that challenge and subvert the underlying biases and injustices inherent in digital applications that we have witnessed in the last decade.

As a researcher and technologist, I have focused on studying the effects of digital applications on various institutional building typologies. I have examined how technologies impact spaces such as agoras, banks, cemeteries, libraries, and malls. To truly grasp the implications and possibilities of these technologies, I believe architects should adopt and adapt the methodologies of user experience and user interface designers. 

Drawing from the practices of user experience and user interface design, architects can employ tools like wireframe diagrams, user flows, empathy maps, persona cards, and atomic design systems. These tools allow architects to become more interdisciplinary, enabling them to understand how the digital applications that influence their design are developed. By integrating these methods into their practice, architects can imagine and shape a more just future, both in the digitally and physically.

More +

The rapid proliferation of digital applications in society has brought about significant changes and reflections in the field of architecture. Architects need to have a comprehensive understanding of the current and potential disruptions that these technologies have and can bring to building typologies. This understanding is crucial in order to create critical architectures that challenge and subvert the underlying biases and injustices inherent in digital applications that we have witnessed in the last decade.

As a researcher and technologist, I have focused on studying the effects of digital applications on various institutional building typologies. I have examined how technologies impact spaces such as agoras, banks, cemeteries, libraries, and malls. To truly grasp the implications and possibilities of these technologies, I believe architects should adopt and adapt the methodologies of user experience and user interface designers. 

Drawing from the practices of user experience and user interface design, architects can employ tools like wireframe diagrams, user flows, empathy maps, persona cards, and atomic design systems. These tools allow architects to become more interdisciplinary, enabling them to understand how the digital applications that influence their design are developed. By integrating these methods into their practice, architects can imagine and shape a more just future, both in the digital realm and the physical built environment.

However, my goal as a researcher and educator extends beyond nurturing only utopic solutions. I also aim to explore dystopian hypotheses and speculative scenarios akin to the concepts depicted in the TV series "Black Mirror." By considering the potential negative consequences and ethical dilemmas arising from the intersection of technology and architecture, we can engage in critical discussions and reflection on the ethics of these technologies and their impact on the built environment. 

In my approach to teaching architecture, I prioritize equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate and respond to the ever-emerging technological disruptions in the field. I aim to prepare aspiring architects to be innovative, flexible, and resilient in the face of rapid technological advancements. By fostering an understanding of digital applications and their ethical implications, I strive to empower students  to design buildings that not only accommodate but also question and challenge these disruptions.

Methodology

Series of methods perform by user experience and interface designers to design digital applications.

Wireframe
Wireframe
User Flow
User Flow
Aesthetics
Aesthetics
Persona Cards
Persona Cards
Media
Media
Design System
Design System

user experience and interface tools

Inquiries

Hover to reveal inquiries to be research and write on:

What does it mean to design a restaurent's facade when most customers select a place to eat from a list curated by Yelp?

What type of civic spaces can architects design when most of our civic discourse is on Twitter?

What type of retail stores can architects design when the growth of e-commerce has replaced our malls and brick-and-mortar stores?

What type of library should architects design when most of our knowledge is being gathered in Wikipedia?

What type of bank should architects design when most transactions are performed through digital payments? such as Paypal.

What type of cemetery should architects design when most of our memories are digital?

What type of cultural spaces can architects design when most of our community engagement is happening on social media applications?

What organization of city street can city planners design when geo navigation tools like Waze disregards any street hierarchy?

What type of vestibule can architects design to adequately accommodate our constant Amazon package deliveries?

Premised inquiries

Typologies

Current and future Architectural Typologies to be research on:

Agora
Agora
Airport
Airport
Bank
Bank
Cemetery
Cemetery
Facade
Facade
House
House
Library
Library
Mall
Mall
Market
Market
Park
Park
Restaurant
Restaurant
Street
Street
Airport
Airport
Agora
Agora
Bank
Bank
Cemetery
Cemetery
Facade
Facade
Mall
Mall
Market
Market
Library
Library
Park
Park
Restaurant
Restaurant
Street
Street
House
House

Architectural Typologies

Applications

Current and future digital applications to be research on:

Airbnb
Airbnb
Amazon
Amazon
Clubhouse
Clubhouse
Facebook
Facebook
Hinge
Hinge
Grubhub
Grubhub
Instagram
Instagram
Linkedin
Linkedin
Uber
Uber
Twitter
Twitter
Waze
Waze
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Airbnb
Airbnb
Amazon
Amazon
Clubhouse
Clubhouse
Facebook
Facebook
Hinge
Hinge
Grubhub
Grubhub
Instagram
Instagram
Linkedin
Linkedin
Uber
Uber
Twitter
Twitter
Waze
Waze
Wikipedia
Wikipedia

Disruptive Technologies

Inquiries

Hover to reveal inquiries to be research and write on:

What does it mean to design a restaurent's facade when most customers select a place to eat from a list curated by Yelp?

What type of civic spaces can architects design when most of our civic discourse is on Twitter?

What type of retail stores can architects design when the growth of e-commerce has replaced our malls and brick-and-mortar stores?

What type of library should architects design when most of our knowledge is being gathered in Wikipedia?

What type of bank should architects design when most transactions are performed through digital payments? such as Paypal.

What type of cemetery should architects design when most of our memories are digital?

What type of cultural spaces can architects design when most of our community engagement is happening on social media applications?

What organization of city street can city planners design when geo navigation tools like Waze disregards any street hierarchy?

What type of vestibule can architects design to adequately accommodate our constant Amazon package deliveries?

Premised inquiries

Typologies

Current and future Architectural Typologies to be research on:

Agora
Agora
Airport
Airport
Bank
Bank
Cemetery
Cemetery
Facade
Facade
House
House
Library
Library
Mall
Mall
Market
Market
Park
Park
Restaurant
Restaurant
Street
Street
Airport
Airport
Agora
Agora
Bank
Bank
Cemetery
Cemetery
Facade
Facade
Mall
Mall
Market
Market
Library
Library
Park
Park
Restaurant
Restaurant
Street
Street
House
House

Architectural Typologies

Applications

Current and future digital applications to be research on:

Airbnb
Airbnb
Amazon
Amazon
Clubhouse
Clubhouse
Facebook
Facebook
Hinge
Hinge
Grubhub
Grubhub
Instagram
Instagram
Linkedin
Linkedin
Uber
Uber
Twitter
Twitter
Waze
Waze
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Airbnb
Airbnb
Amazon
Amazon
Clubhouse
Clubhouse
Facebook
Facebook
Hinge
Hinge
Grubhub
Grubhub
Instagram
Instagram
Linkedin
Linkedin
Uber
Uber
Twitter
Twitter
Waze
Waze
Wikipedia
Wikipedia

Disruptive Technologies

Syllabuses

Brief developed for the research of disruptive technologies in architecture, cartographic analysis, and precedents studies.

About

Martin Ignacio Fernandez is a designer, educator, and technologist; whose work consists of code, images, and narratives which examine the intersection between digital culture and the built environment. He researches how the introduction of digital applications — such as e-commerce, mobile payments, navigation tools, online encyclopedias, and social media — has affected the building typologies of various institutions, including agoras, banks, cemeteries, libraries, and malls. His thesis delved deeper into this topic, specifically exploring the impact of digital memories in the dominion of the dead.

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He holds a Bachelor of Design from the University of Florida and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

If you would like to visit his other areas of interest outside of Pedadogy, visit SPATIALLYOBVIOUS. Where you can learn about Architecture, Software, Biology, Cartography, and Fabrication.

timeline

2023
Adjunct Professor

Advance Architecture Design program - Studio A703 at University of Pennsylvania / Inquires in Data Server, System, and Tectonic.

Guest Critic

Guest Critic for Jiajie Jerry Zhao's Intro to Architecture at Columbia University GSAPP.

Internal Critic

Cait McCarthy's Farming Studio and Tara Pearson's Sublime Studio at Syracuse University.

Internal Critic

Marcos Parga's Housing [Midterm] Thesis Reviews at Syracuse University.

Lecture

Landscape Techniques for Utilities Camouglage at Slocum Hall at Syracuse University.

Adjunct Professor

Bachelor of Architecture - Studio ARC208 at Syracuse Architecture / Inquires in Section, Site, Surface, and System.

2022
Guest Critic

Syracuse University School of Architecture for Konrad Holtsmark's studio.

Guest Critic

Syracuse University School of Architecture for Sampath Pediredla, Edgar Rodríguez, Greg Corso, and Matt Rosen's studios.

Guest Critic

Lecture and Critic at The University of British Columbia School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture for Goli Jalali's studio.

2019
Graduate Teacher Assistant

Core II Studio / Logistics, critic and course preparation.
Instructor: Tom Depaor / Harvard GSD

2018
Graduate Teacher Assistant

Assisted with ArcGis, Photoshop, Illustrator, Rhinoceros 3D, and Plotting.
Instructor: Robert Pietrusko / Harvard GSD

Graduate Research Assistant

Research, Editorial and Publication for Typology of Big Words.
Instructor: Sergio Lopez Pineiro / Harvard GSD

2013
Teaching Assistant

Assisted student with analyzing, constructing, and diagramming academic architectural projects.
Instructor: Albertus Wang / University of Florida