Wes Mcgee
Lecturer in Architecture, Digital Lab Coordinator 2008 – Present
University of Michigan, Taubmann College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Ann Arbor, MI
Instructor in Architecture; Digital Lab Coordinator 2007–2008
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA
Masters in Industrial Design 2005
Georgia Institute of Technology, College of Architecture
Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering 2001
Georgia Institute of Technology, College of Architecture
Teaching Assistant 2003 – 2005
Georgia Institute of Technology, Advanced Wood Products Laboratory
Principal 2008 – Present
Matter Design
Managing Member 2005 – 2008
Thing Farm, LLC, Atlanta, GA
General Manager 2005 – 2007
DEX Studios, Atlanta, GA
Wes Mcgee is a Lecturer in Architecture and the Director of the FABLab at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. His work has always focused on cultivating an understanding of craft and material. The recent focus on digital design and fabrication technology in architecture has presented a unique opportunity for investigation of new connections between materials and processes as they relate to the built environment. His current research is focused on the development of customized software and fabrication tools that seamlessly integrate process constraints with design intent. Specifically the lab researches processes that integrate multiple modes of design and production, from generative design and computational feedback of material properties, to secondary and tertiary automation processes that integrate robotics with bespoke machines of production.
He has presented work at multiple national and international conferences on design and fabrication, and been published in recent books such as “Fabricated Futures” by Neil Leach and “Fabricate”, by Ruari Glynn and Bob Sheil, as well as forthcoming books such as “Digital Fabrication in Architecture” by Nick Dunn, and “Performative Materials in Architecture” by Rashida NG and Sneha Patel. He has exhibited work at the 2008 and 2010 Beijing Biennale and is currently collaborating on an installation for the 2012 Venice Biennale, involving robotically fabricated space frames.