Larry Sass
Designing on a Futuristic Level
For RRTN by Tristen Graves
Digital fabrication may come as an unfamiliar concept for many, however for MIT professor and researcher, Larry Sass, it’s the future of architecture.
Sass, who earned both a masters and PhD from MIT, foresees the traditional use of blueprints and two-dimensional models transitioning to the use of three-dimensional, computer-generated models; a radical approach to the conventional process used by architects today.
“My focus is on technology and implementing building deliveries. I’m trying to find ways to deliver buildings directly from computer models, which is not a standard practice,” Sass said.
Sass, a Harlem native, discovered his interest in the field of architecture while in high school. However, while growing up during the 70’s, Sass credits his neighborhood of Harlem for sparking that interest.
“There was a lot of arson in New York City and a lot of poverty in Harlem. I thought the best thing was to change the look of the neighborhood,” Sass said in a 1998 article posted by The Boston Globe.
In pursuit of his career, Sass earned a bachelor’s of architecture from Pratt Institute in 1990. However, upon graduation he was faced with, what he feels to be his greatest struggle, maintaining his first job outside of college. In spite of not finding work for two years, Sass decided to enroll in graduate school at MIT, where he earned his master of science in 1994 and PhD in 2000 in Design and Computation.
While at MIT, Sass was introduced to his mentor, William Mitchell, former dean of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning and an advocate for the use of computers within the profession of architecture.
“He introduced me to research and design computing,” Sass said. Through research and testing, Sass has come across the concept of digital fabrication. “I am now investigating ways to use new computers to produce buildings.”
Sass has demonstrated that buildings can be designed and constructed using computer-aided-design drawings. The drawings are then transformed into tangible scale models like the Digitally Fabricated House for New Orleans project created by Sass and displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in 2008. The project featured a 196-square-foot, one-room house, intended to be used as a proposal for the reconstruction of New Orleans.
“We have figured out how to manufacture buildings through a series of attachable pieces,” Sass said, who took the time to visit New Orleans for design inspiration for the digitally-fabricated, 3-D model, constructed of planar sheets and cut plywood. The model was displayed at the museum for four months.
As the Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture and the Director of Digital Design and Fabrication Group at MIT, Sass introduces students to ideas related to the makings of a “finished product”.
“Drawings explain your intentions and tell or describe how something is going to be made.” Sass said. “They don’t engage students in the making process. I carry through the other steps in the making process. It can range from making a full-scale model to a mock-up of a building.”
Before going into academia, Sass served as project architect at Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbot, designer for Payette Associate Architects and Planners, designer at Schwartz Silver Architects and as an intern architect at Hirsch Danios Associates. He has also served as a consultant for Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and Neighborhood Partners.
Sass is an avid biker. According to Sass, competing in the 1992 Olympic trials for bike racing was a highlight moment for him, he only missed the finals by a few points. Sass is married to Terry Sass and they have three children, Max, June and Omar.
