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Adel Machacca

Lecturer

Bio

Adel, a passionate and dedicated professional architect, is driven by the art of design and committed to creating extraordinary spaces that exceed expectations. With a strong belief in the power of hard work, fun, and unwavering passion, Adel infuses these essential elements into every project undertaken. For him, architecture goes beyond aesthetics; it is a medium for creating memories and experiences that feel like dreams.

Adel's fascination lies particularly in psychogeography, a field that holds the potential to elevate the emotional and behavioral well-being of users. Captivated by the concept of augmented urban memory maps, he strives to seamlessly blend a community's past, present, and future. By leveraging the principles of psychogeography, he endeavors to create spaces that not only meet functional needs but also establish meaningful connections with the history, culture, and identity of the area.

Throughout his career, Adel has demonstrated professional expertise and dedication, earning accreditation from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Collaborating with the United Nations on architectural research (Targeting Beirut Blast in 2019) has provided invaluable insights into global design challenges. Furthermore, Adel's commitment to innovation and visionary leadership was recognized through the receipt of a fully funded merit Scholarship for an MFA in Architecture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago(SAIC). His dedication was further highlighted by the honor of receiving the Student Leadership Award in 2023 from SAIC.

With a Master's degree, MFA in Architecture, from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Beirut Arab University, Adel's educational background provides a solid foundation for his expertise. Currently, Adel applies their skills as a designer, utilizing his expertise to create compelling digital experiences that resonate with audiences.

In addition to architecture, Adel possesses a diverse skill set that encompasses various advanced design applications. Proficient in HTML coding, CAD product rendering, Adobe design suite, augmented technology, and video editing, and animation. Adel brings versatility to their projects and delivers comprehensive solutions.

Adel's unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries, exploring new frontiers of design, and making a positive impact through their work shines through in their every endeavor. 

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

This course is a comprehensive introduction to two-dimensional architectural and interior architectural representation. Students learn hand-drawing and digital techniques to produce orthographic, axonometric, isometric, and perspectival projections in individual and group projects. Students move between two- and three-dimensional representation, developing robust skills for design drawing. Typically the course will review the work of architects and designers throughout the history of architecture representation. Readings will vary and focus will be concentrated on understanding and putting into practice the mechanisms of drawing. Course work consists of building techniques and practice of drawing. Classes will develop incremental skills through assignments and projects that culminate into complex drawings and representations. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1049

Credits

3

Description

This two-day core undergraduate design studio focuses on the role of the designer in public life, and the role architecture plays in shaping public life. Students address the legal, ethical, cultural, and political concerns that shape architecture practice through the development of a design project. Students use rigorous representation techniques, achieving a professional level of presentation. Students are expected to complete a professional portfolio and resume, along with their design work. This studio examines issues of program, structure, and building skin to identify how public architecture represents itself as a cultural and political artifact. Rather than understanding architecture as autonomous from its social, cultural, and political environment, the studio posits that architecture must be integrated into the world, be informed by and transforming the social and technical systems that enable our built environments. Students will review and study design approaches to expand their understanding of possibilities about new spatial dynamics informed by emerging social relationships, hybrid conditions and the social shaping of technology. Readings, textual and visual case studies and site visits will vary, but always provide the background and theoretical grounding for the site and project analysis and final project development and portfolio presentation. Project work is a cumulative archive of the process of problem analysis and design exploration that are translations of observations, facts and ideas ? all being made visible through diagrams, drawings and models. Parts of the semesters work will be conducted in groups, in group discussions and workshops and/or site visits; and which will all contribute to individual project work and portfolio development to be presented in a final critique. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

2535

Credits

6

Description

Investigates the new field of parametric design, which involves making 3D computer models that have embedded simultaneous equations that modify parts of the model when other parts are changed. Includes the sketching of potential parametric relationships at the beginning of the parametric design process. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1042

Credits

3