LAAC, Austria

Kathrin Aste gained her Diploma in Architecture from the University of Innsbruck, then, in 2004, established Aste Architecture. In 2009 she founded LAAC Architects with Frank Ludin. LAAC is focused on contemporary architecture for urban and landscape contexts, particularly alpine infrastructures. The sites for their projects have ranged from Innsbruck’s medieval town centre to the mountains of Kazakhstan.

In high altitude and inaccessible sites, the practice has developed great material precision; for instance, the daring Mountain Peak Platform ‘Top of Tyrol’ (2009) was constructed in parts and transported by helicopter – 20 flights over three days. Edith Schlocker described the project in Austria-Architects as ‘architecture as a tight-rope artist’. Their material experiments engage structural technologies, extreme climates and history.

Kathrin has taught at the Light Academy Bartenbach, the University of Liechtenstein and the University of Innsbruck and lectured at the International Mountain Summit. LAAC’s projects have been widely published in European architecture journals, with the sculptured concrete landscape for Eduard Wallnofer Platz, completed in 2011, also celebrated in Kingpin Skateboarding Magazine

Virginia San Fratello to Speak at the 2013 National Architecture Conference in Melbourne

A rich array of international and Australian speakers has been confirmed for the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2013 National Conference – MATERIAL.

Creative Directors Sandra Kaji-O’Grady and John de Manincor have selected 14 presenters including academics, artists, practicing architects, historians, researchers and problem solvers, once again securely positioning the 2013 conference as a must attend annual industry event.

The 2013 National Architecture Conference presents:

Kathrin Aste – LAAC Architects, Austria
Lucia Cano – SeglasCano Arquitectos, Spain
Billie Faircloth – KieranTimberlake Research Group, USA
Manuelle Gautrand – Manuelle Gautrand Architecture, France
Tim Greer – Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, Australia
Matthias Kohler – Gramazio and Kohler, Switzerland
Carey Lyon – Lyons Architecture, Australia
MAD Architects – Beijing, China
Jorge Otero-Pailos – Columbia University, USA
Cesare Peeren – Superuse Studios, Netherlands
Philippe Rahm – Philippe Rahm Architectes, France
Virginia San Fratello – Rael San Fratello, USA
Nader Tehrani – NADAAA, USA
Emma Young – PhooEY, Australia

‘The quality and diversity of the approaches to MATERIAL that speakers will present at this year’s conference highlights the complex nature of how architects, both locally and internationally, explore this multifaceted topic.

‘The variety of MATERIAL(s) used by the speakers at the conference is both astounding and exciting: including coloured light, heat and gaseous composition (Philippe Rahm), latex, pollution and time (Jorge Otero-Pailos), printed ceramics, straw and cardboard (Virginia San Fratello), cellophane and LED’s (Billie Faircloth), brick-laying helicopters (Matthias Kohler) and more,’ say the Creative Directors.

The National Architecture Conference – Material will be held in Melbourne from 30 May – 1 June 2013