Wednesday, November 24, 2021: The Faculty of Architecture and Interior Design (FAID) hosted a second Industry Talk Series entitled “Strange Objects” with Professor Winka Dubbeldam, MS-AAD, Chair and Miller Professor of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design, on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at Canadian University Dubai’s (CUD) Al Bada’a Campus.
Topics of discussion included the concept of "bottom-up" and "systems" design, where Ms. Winka demonstrated their application in both theory and practice using her projects as examples; the 8-story Townhouse in New York, the INSCAPPE Meditation Centre, and the latest Hangzhou Asian Games Park in China.
Dr. Hamoud Dekkiche, Acting Dean and Head of Interior Design, Canadian University Dubai said: “Prof. Winka’s presentation was inspirational and valuable at demonstrating both the role of advanced technologies and the sensitivity to local context at producing suitable sustainable projects. At CUD, we are pleased to provide our students with alternative perspectives in learning. Having guests like Prof. Winka visiting our students brings a different dynamic to our classrooms, encouraging our students to engage in immersive discussions.”
Prof. Winka is a seasoned academic and design leader, serving as Chair and Miller Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, where she has gathered an international network of innovative research and design professionals. Previously, she oversaw the Post-Professional Degree program for 10 years (2003-2013), providing students with innovative design skills, cutting-edge theoretical and technological knowledge, and the analytic, interpretive, and writing skills necessary for a productive and innovative career in the field of architecture. She also taught advanced architectural design studios at Columbia University and Harvard University, among other prestigious institutions. Prof. Winka was the External Examiner at the Architectural Association London (2006-2009) and is currently the External Examiner at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London (2019-present). She was named one of the Design Intelligence 30 Most Admired Educators 2015. She has been a juror and chaired many international and national award juries, and was keynote speaker at international conferences. Currently Prof. Winka is one of the creative directors for CityX in the Virtual Italian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale [2021], where the Design-Research of six of Upenn’s faculty are exhibited.
As the founder/principal of the WBE certified New York firm Archi-Tectonics, Prof. Winka is widely known for her award-winning work, recognized as much for its use of hybrid sustainable materials and smart building systems as for its elegance and innovative structures. Archi-Tectonics' work ranges from residential to commercial, from real to virtual, and is realized in urban & architectural designs, and museum installations. Recently built commercial works include the Kyle-Kath Gallery in Chelsea, the Moooi Headquarters and Showroom, and the Inscape Meditation Studio, which harnesses off-site prototyping and prefabrication processes. Residential work includes the North Salem Residence, the 512 GW Townhouse: an 8-story, single-family residence wrapped by an operable "climate skin", and we also designed Inscape’s owner Tribeca Duplex Penthouse: a "living-scape" of light and color below a massive skylight and private outdoor roof deck. In 2018, Archi-Tectonics won the Asian Games 2022 Eco-Park Invited Design Competition, now nearing completion in Hangzhou, China. It includes a 116-acre Eco-Park, two stadiums, a commercial mall, and three other supporting buildings, all coordinated in BIM, and designed as ‘hybrids’ to form an enduring legacy beyond the Asian Games themselves.
The School of Architecture and Interior Design at CUD provides students with the knowledge and tools necessary to become change makers within the industry. The unique studio experience provided is central to the teaching model and challenges students to translate the classroom experience into practice through innovative design and entrepreneurial ideas. With the fast-paced evolution of architecture, interior design, and sustainability, students are encouraged to critically analyze situations and develop unique design solutions, while acknowledging the human relationship to plan and design with empathy and responsibility.