Sasaki at ABX 2019

Sasaki VR specialist David Morgan shows a MakeTank project through augmented reality

Sasaki was well-represented at this year’s ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX). MakeTank, a group within the Boston Society of Architects (BSA), displayed their work in the exhibit hall, and others presented about ongoing Sasaki projects.

MakeTank, which was founded by Sasaki associate principal Brad Prestbo, FAIA, CSI, CDT, and co-chaired by architectural designer and fabricator Felipe Francisco, is a group that aims to support maker culture through networking, discussion, collaborative design, and fabrication. The group has displayed on the exhibit floor since 2016, and this year, they debuted a new project: City Print. Led by Francisco, City Print is a collaborative effort to 3D print the entire City of Boston, demonstrating the power of collective community making and improving Boston’s ability to represent itself. Anyone is invited to contribute to the process of preparing the 3D model data for printing, and can sign up to be responsible for a section of the city on MakeTank’s website. The team shared the project with others in the exhibit hall, and an augmented reality (AR) display provided a peek at what the project will look like when completed.

The MakeTank team divided the City of Boston into square tiles. Anyone can claim a tile and prepare the data for 3D-printing through a system developed by Sasaki Strategies.

The map of Boston comes to life with AR

The MakeTank booth exhibited custom-built work from Sasaki urban designer Ruben Sannen and architect Youngjin Lee, AIA, LEED® AP, as well as work from throughout the Boston maker community

Representatives from MKR|MGR were also present at the expo. MKR|MGR is a knowledge-sharing group within the BSA focused on the development and enhancement of fabrication studios associated with architectural firms and allied industries. Sasaki fabrication studio manager Jay Nothoff founded and co-chairs MKR|MGR alongside Payette fabrication manager Parke Macdowell, AIA.

Along with showing off MakeTank’s work in the exhibit hall, Prestbo led a workshop with architect Gerry Gutierrez, AIA, CDT about the latest rainscreen technology and design. Later that evening, he also presented with others from MakeTank during a workshop about incorporating maker culture into the design process.

Prestbo (left) and Gutierrez (right) on rainscreens

Prestbo presenting about MakeTank’s work

From left to right: Parke MacDowell, AIA, fabrication manager at Payette; Jay Nothoff, Sasaki fabrication studio manager; Felipe Francisco, Sasaki architectural designer and fabricator; Peter Atwood, interim director of digital media at Boston Architectural College

Also presenting were Sasaki principal Christine Dunn, AIA and associate principal Kate Tooke, ASLA, PLA on Sasaki’s work at Boston City Hall Plaza. They led a workshop called “Boston City Hall and Plaza: Reinterpreting a Civic Legacy” alongside Mark Pasnik, AIA, principal at Over,Under, and Maureen Anderson, senior project manager at the City of Boston. They discussed how City Hall’s plaza came to be, its polarizing legacy, and how design will help move it forward.

Dunn introduces the presentation

Tooke talks about Sasaki’s plans for the plaza’s renovation

Back in the exhibit hall, Sasaki landscape designer Garrett Craig-Lucas gave a flash talk on Boston City Hall Plaza, engaging passersby with a condensed history of the unique site.

Craig-Lucas presenting in the exhibit hall

Sasaki was also honored to have the Deerfield Academy Athletics Complex recognized by the BSA with an Honor Award for Design Excellence. The winners of the award were recognized in the exhibit hall.