ABOUT AUGMENTED ARCHITECTURES

Augmented Architectures is a research and design practice developing projects that operate in-between the human body and architectural scale and engage topics pertaining to biotechnology, digital and bio fabrication, computational design, virtual reality, interactive design and data visualization. We create interactive installations, wearable devices, sustainable material systems, and drawings as extended notions of architecture. We curate exhibitions, symposia and workshops internationally, some include 'Artificial Realities: Virtual as an Aesthetic Medium in Architectural Ideation' an exhibition and symposium for the Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2019 and the "Data & Matter" exhibition at the GAA Foundation as a parallel event of the 2018 Venice Architecture Bienalle. Our work has been exhibited internationally at various events and venues including #Biodesign HereNow, Frieze Academy, NYCxDesign 2019, 'Fashion Digital Night' for Milano Fashion Week 2019, Venice Architecture Biennale, the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, Istanbul Design Biennale, The Today Art Museum in China, The Recent Work Gallery in Seoul, GAA Foundation, Reshape FORUM Wearable Technology Exhibition, EYEBEAM NY, MILAN EXPO 2015, CCNY and Cornell University. Parallel to the studio work we have been developing bioMATTERS, a brand of products bio-manufactured by living organisms and waste. bioMATTERS is a member of NEWINC at New Museum New York 'Creative Experiments' incubator and a member of Futureworks NY Incubator Entrepreneurs program.
Augmented Architectures is led by two partners Nancy Diniz and Frank Melendez.

Nancy Diniz is a registered architect and educator practicing in New York City and London. Nancy is the Director of the Masters in Biodesign at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. She is the recipient of numerous grants and fellowships namely from New York State Council on the Arts/Storefront, MacDowell Colony, EYEBEAM, Arctic Circle, US, Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, Korea and The Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal. Nancy is also co-Director of the Institute for Advanced Architecture Catalonia (IaaC) New York Global Summer School and an affiliated researcher of ISTAR Information Sciences, Technologies and Architecture Research Center, Digital Living Spaces Lab, ISCTE, Lisbon Portugal and of WSNL Wireless Sensor Network Lab, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University XJTLU, Suzhou, China. Nancy has held academic positions in the US, China, UK, Italy and Portugal. Nancy holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Lusiada University, Portugal and a Masters from the Bartlett Graduate School, UCL, UK. She is author of the upcoming book ‘Unstable Matters – Designing with Living Organisms’.

Frank Melendez is an architect and educator practicing in New York City. Frank is an Assistant Professor at the City College of New York, Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture. Frank is author of the book "Drawing from the Model; Fundamentals of Digital Drawing, 3D Modeling and Visual Programming in Architectural Design" and has published texts that focus on the role of responsive technologies in architectural design and educational pedagogies. These works have been supported through grants and fellowships, including the MacDowell Colony, in which he was awarded a 2017 Artist-In-Residence fellowship. Frank has held academic appointments at Carnegie Mellon Univeristy, where he was awarded the George N. Pauly, Jr. Fellowship. as well as Louisiana State University, and Arizona State University. He is co-Director of the IaaC New York Global Summer School. Frank holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona and a Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture. His professional experience includes working at URBAN A&O, New York, NY, and Frank O. Gehry & Associates in Santa Monica, CA.