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Nathan King

Co-Director, Center for Design Research
Portrait photo of Nathan King
nathanking@vt.edu

Nathan King is Co-Director of the Center for Design Research (CDR) where he leads CDR efforts in Design Technology and Social Impact, including a new initiative supported by the Institute for Critical and Applied Science focused on the democratization of design technology through work with regional HBCUs. King has taught at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where he co-founded the Glass Robotics Laboratory, At Innsbruck University’s Institute for Experimental Architecture, and is regularly a lecturer in Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and Instructor at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design. In industry, Nathan is the Industrialized Construction Research Lead at Autodesk and along with his team, focuses on the Future of Industrialized Construction, and the development of strategic initiatives related to robotics, automation, and the future of industry. In addition, Nathan was instrumental in the development of the Autodesk Technology Center – Boston and continues to work with industry to provide innovation opportunities—work that has been recognized by the ASCE with the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation. King is active in industry, practice, academia, and policy—working to create opportunities at their intersection. Nathan’s work spans the globe, with built work in Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Haiti, Sweden, Dominican Republic, United States and beyond. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Nathan was a Director at Mass Design Group where he focused on the development of building technologies for low-resource settings. Recently, he has held a governmental appointment as National Healthcare Infrastructure Advisor to the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Zambia where he worked to introduce technology-enhanced construction processes for use in distributed healthcare facilities.

Design Technology including Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Social Impact, International Outreach, Design Research, Technologies for Inclusion and Impact

Digital Material Systems
Impact Design
Design and Health
CDR- OpenLab

  • Architectural Acoustics Illustrated (Wiley, 2015), Architizer International Design Award for Bubble Wrap House

Abbreviated list:

  • Nathan King, “Technologies for Inclusion” in, Ferdous, F., & Bell, B. (2020). All-Inclusive Engagement in Architecture: Towards the Future of Social Change (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367341985 
  • M. Bechthold, a. Kane and N.King “Ceramic Material Systems in Architecture and Interior Design” Birkhauser, De Gruyter Berlin, November 2015 
  • M. Bechthold, N.King and A. Kane “Keramische Bausysteme in Architektur und Innenarchitektur” Birkhauser, De Gruyter Berlin, September 2015. 
  • Li, C., Yuan, M., Faircloth, B., Anderson, J., King, N., & Stuart-Smith, R. (2022, October 27). Smart Branching: An Experimental Method for Heterogeneous Branching Networks using Non-planar 3D Printed Clay Deposition. In Hybrids & Haecceities Conference & Proceedings. 
  • Dunaway, D., Rothbart, D., Gwinn, L., King, N., & Stuart-Smith, R. (2022, October 27). Introducing Bespoke Properties to Slip Cast Elements: Designing a Process for Robotically Controlled Rotational Casting. In ACADIA 2022: Hybrids & Haecceities Conference & Proceedings. 
  • Tish, D., King, N. & Cote, N. Highly accessible platform technologies for vision-guided, closed-loop robotic assembly of unitized enclosure systems. Constr. Robot (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-020-00030-z 
  • Lewis, Trevor Stephen, et al. "Toward an Automated Robotic Fabrication Workflow for Structurally Optimized Multispecies Wooden Network Shells." Proceedings of IASS Annual Symposia. Vol. 2018. No. 20. International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS), 2018. 
  • N. King, N.Melenbrink, N.Cote, and G. Fagerstrom. “BUILD-ing the Lo-Fab Pavilion: Dynamo-driven collaborative robotic fabrication workflows for the construction of spatial structures” in Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Robots in Architecture, Art, and Design (RobArch), 2016 
  • N. Melenbrink and N. King “Fulldome Interfacing: A Real-time Immersive Environment as a Design Tool” in Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference on Computer-Aided Computational Design in Asia (CAADRIA), Daegu, Republic of Korea, May 2015. 
  • N. King, R. Vroman, K. King, and O. Mesa “Innovating Ceramics: Technology, Collaboration, and Pedagogy” in The Journal National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), NCECA 2015 
  • N. King, J. Grinham, D. Saladik, M. Murphy, and A. Ricks “ Crafting Eclipsis: Integrated Computational Design and Automation Through Programmed Craft-Based Fabrication in the Developing World” in Proceedings of the 2014 International ACSA Conference, Seoul Korea, June 2014 
  • N. King, S. Pender, J. Grinham, R. Vroman, and D Clark “ Beyond Digital Steroids: a Pedagogical Approach to Foundation Design Through Design Robotics” in Proceedings of the 2014 International ACSA Conference, Seoul Korea, June 2014 
  • N. King. M. Bechthold, A.Kane, P. Michalatos, “ Robotic Tile Placement: Tools Techniques and Feasibility" , in Journal of Automation in Construction. N.King, M. Bechthold, and A. Kane “Modular Automation Strategies for Robotic Fabrication” in Fabricating the Future by Philip F. Yuan and Neil Leach, Tongji University Press, 2012 
  • M. Bechthold and N. King “Design Robotics: A Strategic Research Approach" , Proceedings of the 2012 Robot In Architecture, Art, and Design Conference; Vienna, Austria, 2012* (*Conference December 2012) 
  • N. King. and J. Grinham “ Automating Eclipsis: Robotic Fabrication of Optimized Metal Façade Components " , Proceedings of the 2012 Robot In Architecture, Art, and Design Conference; Vienna, Austria, 2012* (*Conference December 2012) 
  • S. Andreani. J.L Garcia del Castillo, A. Jyoti, N. King, and M. Bechthold, “ Flowing Matter: Robotic Fabrication of Tectonic Ceramic Systems" , Project Presentation, Acadia Conference, San Francisco California, October 2012 
  • N. King. M. Bechthold, A.Kane, P. Michalatos, “ Robotic Tile Placement: Tools Techniques and Feasibility" , Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Eindhoven Netherlands, 2012* (*Conference June 2012) 
  • S. Andreani. J.L Garcia del Castillo, A. Jyoti, N. King, and M. Bechthold, “ Flowing Matter: Robotic Fabrication of Tectonic Ceramic Systems" , Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Eindhoven Netherlands, 2012 
  • M.Bechthold, N.King, A.Kane, J.Niemasz, and C.Reinhart," Integrated Environmental Design and Robotic Fabrication Workflow for Ceramic Shading Systems" , Proceedings of the 28th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Seoul Korea, 2011 
  • T.Kaur, M. Lutz, J Singh, N.King "PLUG: An Interdisciplinary Faculty-Student Collaboration at Virginia Tech", Proceedings from the 2007 Dean's Forum on the Environment, Virginia Tech, 2007 

    Selected exhibits: 
  • 2023 Ceramic Material Systems (No. Of Pieces: 180 Pieces of Student work) [Clay-Based Ceramics]. Harvard University, Office of The Arts, Cambridge MA 
  • 2022 Digital Material Systems, with Zach Seibold and Kathy King, Harvard Office of The Arts; Cambridge, MA 
  • 2020-2021 Justice is Beauty, with MASS Design Group and VT Center for Design Research; National Building Museum; Washington D.C 
  • 2019 Prototypes. International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF); New York, NY. (Design exhibition with Robert Dunay and students) 
  • 2019 Cevisama, International Ceramics Trade Show, Valencia Spain (Research Exhibition of student work) 
  • 2019 Collaboration and Automation in Ceramics, Harvard University, Cambridge MA (Exhibition of student work) 
  • 2017 From These Woods, Moss Arts Center, Blacksburg, Virginia 2017 Smithsonian Creativity and Innovation Festival, Smithsonian, Washington D.C 
  • 2017 Technology and Tradition, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York, New York (Exhibition and Furniture Design) 
  • 2016 Landings, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland Virginia (Design Exhibition; with Robert Dunay and students) 
  • 2015 Research as Pedagogy, Architecture Exchange East (Design Exhibition; with Robert Dunay and students) 
  • 2015 MASS Lo-Fab, Robotically Fabricated Grid Shell Design Boston Biennial (Installation; Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston Ma; with MASS Design and Vt-CDR) 
  • 2015 The Technology is in the Aesthetic, International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) (Design Exhibition, with Robert Dunay and David Clark with students) 
  • 2014 Innovating Ceramics, Harvard Ceramics Gallery, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Design Exhibition; with Rachel Vroman and our students.) 2013 Tooling Infrastructure, BEB Gallery, Providence Rhode Island (Design Exhibition; with Marcus Shaffer and our students) 2013 Approaching Transformable Design, Gund Hall Lobby, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Design Exhibition; with Chuck Hoberman and our students) 
  • 2012 House of The Future, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York, New York (Virginia Tech Research Exhibition; with D.Clark, R. Dunay, J. Wheeler, etal.) 
  • 2012 Ceramic Futures, Cevisama 2012, International Trade Show, Valencia Spain (Research Exhibition; with M.Bechthold, A. Kane, and A. Lee.) 
  • 2011 Data Materialized: A Visualization of Demographics in Washington D.C. Intelligent Cities Competition, National Building Museum, Washington D.C. (With K. Bennett, G. Talirico, and J. Zawistowski) 
  • 2011 Ceramic Futures, Gund Lobby, Harvard GSD, Cambridge Ma. (Research Exhibition; with M.Bechthold, A. Kane, C. Reinhart et al.) 
  • 2010 Exhibition La geometría en la cerámica Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid, Madrid, Spain 2009 Industrialized Process: A Prototyped Exhibition, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York, New York (Exhibition and Furniture Design) 
  • 2009 Cologne International Furniture Fair: Cologne, Germany (Exhibition and Furniture Design) 
  • 2009 Niue Ziel String Quartet: Armory Gallery, Blacksburg, Virginia (Kinetic Sculpture installation; with Morgan Sayers; critic Theo Jansen) 
  • 2008 Milan International Furniture Fair, Salone Satellite: Milan, Italy (Exhibition and Furniture Design) 2008 Accreditation Exhibition: Cowgill Hall Rooms 100 and 400, Virginia Tech (Exhibition and Furniture Design; With R.Dunay, J.Wheeler, and D.Clark) 
  • 2005 Deployable Building Systems, Cowgill Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 
  • 2005 Portable Laboratory on Uncommon Grounds, Inn at Virginia Tech (Deans Forum on The Environment) 
  • 2002 Resume, Résumé, Flippo Gallery: Ashland, Virginia (Designer, Curator, and Group Sculpture Exhibition) 
  • 2002 A Time In Place: Large Format In-Situ Landscape Painting, Pace Gallery, Ashland VA (Thesis Exhibition: Randolph-Macon College)

Education

Doctor of Design (DDes), Harvard University

MArch, Virginia Tech

MS.Arch-Industrial Design, Virginia Tech

B.A. Studio Arts and Art History, Randolph-Macon College

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Nathan-King-CV.pdf
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Center for Design Research website