Sean ahlquist
Associate Professor of Architecture
Sean Ahlquist is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Michigan – Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. He directs the Lab for Socio-material Architectures, and is currently the director of the Master of Science in Digital Material Technologies (DMT). Ahlquist is a member of the Cluster in Computational Media and Interactive Systems – connecting architecture with the fields of material science, computer science, and performing arts technology. His work addresses architecture’s pressing need to leverage the techniques of computational design and technologies for novel for constructing material systems towards generating inclusionary spaces, particularly regarding communities identifying as disabled. In 2020, Ahlquist received the ACADIA Innovative Research Award of Excellence for connecting material expertise with applications to enhance social opportunities for communities often underserved by the field of architecture.
Projects
Publications
Books and Book Chapters
Ahlquist, S. (2018). Sensorial Architectures: Prototypes of socio-spatial concepts for engaging children with autism spectrum disorder. In G. Pastorutti & I. Péborde (eds.), SKIN – The Body, the Mind and the City, 1st edition. (awaiting print publication).
Ahlquist, S. (2018). Sensorial Playscape. In P. Yuan, N. Leach & A. Menges (eds.), Digital Fabrication (197-210) Tongi: Tongji University Press.
Ahlquist, S. and Menges, A. (2016) Materiality & Computational Design: Emerging Material Systems & the Role of Design Computation and Digital Fabrication. In M. Kanaani & D. Kopec (eds.), The Routledge Companion for Architecture Design and Practice: Established and Emerging Trends, (149-168) New York: Routledge.
Peer-reviewed Journal Papers
Ahlquist, S., Ketcheson, L., & Colombi, C. (2017). Multisensory Architecture: The Dynamic Interplay of Environment, Movement and Social Function. Architectural Design Special Issue: Design for Health, 87(2), 90-99.
Ahlquist, S. (2016). Sensory material architectures: Concepts and methodologies for spatial tectonics and tactile responsivity in knitted textile hybrid structures. International Journal of Architectural Computing, 14(1), 63-82.
Ahlquist, S. (2016). Textile Environments and Tactile Interfaces: Responsive Multi-Sensory Architectures for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, AIA Academy of Architecture for Health Journal, 18, 4-15.
Peer-reviewed Conference Papers
Park, G., Adams, L., Ahlquist, S. & Nanda, U. (2018). Sensory Wellbeing for Adolescents with Developmental Disorders: Creating (and testing) a
Sensory Wellbeing Hub. In ANFA 2018: Shared Behavioral Outcomes [Conference for the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture], La Jolla, September 2018, (awaiting print publication).
Ahlquist, S., McGee, W. & Sharmin, S. (2017). Pneumaknit: Actuated Architectures Through Wale- and Course-Wise Tubular Knit-Constrained Pneumatic Systems. In T. Nagakura & S. Tibbits (eds.), ACADIA 17: Disciplines & Disruptions [Proceedings of the 37th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA)], Boston, November 2017, pp. 39-51.
Ahlquist, S. (2017). Sensorial Playscape: Advanced structural, material and responsive capacities of textile hybrid architectures as therapeutic environments for social play. In A. Menges, B. Sheil, R. Glynn, & M. Skavara (eds.), Fabricate: Rethinking Design and Construction, Stuttgart, April 2017, pp. 234- 241
Courses
ARCH 509 ENGAGE
ARCH 708 Systems Engagement
ARCH 739 MS Capstone