Dr Alicia Nahmad Vazquez

Biography

Dr Alicia Nahmad is an architect with a passion for robotics and digital fabrication, a strong believer that robotics can augment rather than replace human craft and that human-robot collaboration is the future of the construction industry. As a research-based practising architect, for the last 10 years, she has been engaged with the digitization of building trades and adapting advanced digital design and robotic fabrication methods to incorporate the wisdom and craft of traditional building cultures. Her projects include the construction of award-winning ‘Knit-Candela’ and diverse collaborations with practice and academic institutions. She holds a PhD from Cardiff University and a MArch from the AADRL.

Her work focuses on exploring design through integrating materials, local skills and cutting edge design and digital fabrication technologies - such as machine learning and robotics - in relation to context-specific environments. She has developed workflows for human-robot collaboration in the design and construction process that engage with local communities. Alicia’s work expands across a number of scales, from architectural pavilions and robotic installations to developing and fabricating customized PPE masks  -through the use of AI and digital fabrication - for frontline personnel.

In addition to her role as an academic, Alicia combines her love for design and the built environment with entrepreneurship.  Alicia is the founder of The Circular Factory (CF) , MI Toolbox and Architecture Extrapolated (R-Ex). She also works as Associate Professor at the University of Calgary SAPL where she co-directs the Laboratory for Integrative Design. Before joining the University of Calgary, Dr Nahmad Vazquez worked for 5 years as a studio master at the Architectural Association Design Research Laboratory (AADRL). Alicia previously worked developing design tools for practices like Populous and Zaha Hadid architects. She has also been an Artist-In-Residence at Autodesk Pier 9. In 2021 she was recognised as one of Calgary 40 under 40.

Research Activities

Professor Nahmad Vazquez researches and writes in the area of digital design, human-robot collaboration, digital fabrication, modern methods of construction, participatory design frameworks and the digitisation of the trades. She has received numerous grants for her work in digital fabrication as related to SMEs at the intersection between architectural geometry, digital fabrication and traditional construction methods. More recently, Dr Nahmad Vazquez was appointed as a Research Excellence Chair by the University of Calgary.

Professor Nahmad Vazquez has been invited to develop and present art installations at ACADIA, Women Leading in AI annual conference, Microsoft reactor London;  Mexican embassy in the UK;  Belas Artes Sao Paulo; Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM); and others.

Alicia has published over 30 articles in scientific peer-reviewed journals,book chapters and has multiple international conference presentations, and invited papers in web-based media. Alicia has been invited to present her work and research worldwide in different venues, including the Institute for Advanced Architecture for Catalunya (IAAC) Barcelona;  Women in Construction global summit UK;  Design and Computation Community London; Atrica LINEA Mexico, Museo do Amanha Rio de Janeiro; the University of Edinborough in Scotland; Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City; Tecnologico de Monterrey Mexico City, UDLAP, Chicago Biennale, Venice Biennale.