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John Ochsendorf

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John Ochsendorf
Ochsendorf on a tour in Washington DC (2011)
BornMay 22, 1974
Columbus, Ohio, US
EducationCornell University (BSc 1996)
Princeton University (MSc 1998)
University of Cambridge (PhD 2002)[1]
Occupation(s)Structural engineer, architectural historian, professor
Known forStudies of ancient architecture
SpouseAnne Carney[2]
WebsiteJohn Ochsendorf at the MIT School of Architecture and Planning

John Ochsendorf (born May 22, 1974) is an American educator, structural engineer, and historian of construction; he is a professor in the Department of Architecture and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[3] He is widely known for becoming a MacArthur Fellow in 2008[4] He served as the Director of the American Academy in Rome from 2017 to 2020.[5] In 2022, he was appointed the founding director of the newly created MIT Morningside Academy for Design.

Early years and education

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Ochsendorf grew up in Elkins, West Virginia;[2][6] he was educated at Elkins High School, Cornell University,[7] Princeton University, and the University of Cambridge.[3] His university degrees are in structural engineering and he minored in archaeology at Cornell.

He also studied in Spain as a predoctoral scholar under the Fulbright Program in 2000–2001.[8][9]

Career

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Ochsendorf joined the MIT faculty in 2002, and holds a joint appointment in the MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the Department of Architecture.[2] He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, and serves on a number of faculty committees.[2][10]

Ochsendorf is known for using architecture and engineering to study and restore ancient structures and sometimes draws upon ancient building methods for the benefit of modern construction. He has studied Incan simple suspension bridges[7] and the earthquake-worthiness of Gothic cathedrals.[6]

Ochsendorf also curated an exhibition Palaces for the People, featuring the history and legacy of Guastavino tile construction, which premiered in September 2012 at the Boston Public Library, Rafael Guastavino's first major architectural work in America. The exhibition then traveled to the National Building Museum in Washington DC, and an expanded version appeared at the Museum of the City of New York. Ochsendorf, a winner of the MacArthur Foundation "genius grant", also wrote the book-length color-illustrated monograph Guastavino vaulting : the art of structural tile,[11] and an online exhibition coordinated with the traveling exhibits.[12]

In addition, Ochsendorf directs the Guastavino Project at MIT, which researches and maintains the Guastavino.net online archive of related materials.[13][14][15]

In 2022, it was announced that Ochsendorf would be founding director of the new MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MIT MAD), an interdisciplinary center which is part of the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P). Initial funding came from a $100 million gift from The Morningside Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the T.H. Chan family.[16]

Engineering and artistic collaborations

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Sean Collier Memorial

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Main article: Sean Collier Memorial

On April 29, 2015, MIT held special ceremonies dedicating the Sean Collier Memorial in honor of MIT Police officer Sean Collier, who had been killed by Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev two years earlier.[17] Ochsendorf and his students were deeply involved with the structural engineering of the design, which was led by J. Meejin Yoon, the head of the MIT Department of Architecture.[18] The memorial consists of 32 massive granite blocks precision-shaped under computer numerical control, and fitted together into a shallow open domed arch with 5 radial support wings splayed out like fingers of an open hand.[19][20]

Lookout by Martin Puryear

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In 2023, American sculptor Martin Puryear completed his first large-scale sculpture made of bricks, at Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, New York, in the Hudson Valley north of New York City.[21][22][23] Called Lookout, the artwork is an asymmetrical compound-curved domed shell, pierced by 90 small apertures for circular viewports. Visitors can walk around and into the sculpture, enjoying the views of the surrounding area.

The overall patterning of the bricks was influenced by kilns in the UK, and especially by Nubian masons in Mali.[21] Puryear had been thinking about his design for many years, when he had a conversation with Ochsendorf in 2019.[21] Ochsendorf had an ongoing interest in ancient and traditional architectural technologies, and had already done his own studies of the Nubian bricklaying practices.[21] They both immediately realized that a collaboration would advance the project, and began working together. They devised a two-layered brick structural shell sandwiching a steel grid for longterm structural stability of the relatively thin shell.[21]

Ochsendorf recruited and led a team of MIT students and alumni to work on the structural engineering aspects of the project. Two undergrads and four master's students worked on the analytical modeling of the project, including computing the number of bricks required.[21] The lead mason was Lara Davis, a former master's student, who also happened to be living and working near Storm King. Davis developed and tested a custom blend of natural cements to make up the high-strength mortar binding the masonry elements together.[21]

Personal life

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From 2010 to 2017, Ochsendorf and his wife Anne Carney served as heads of house of the MIT graduate student dormitory called "The Warehouse".[2] He is an enthusiastic soccer player, and enjoys hiking, cycling, and camping. He has lived in Australia, England, Spain, and Italy, and speaks Spanish and Italian.[2]

Awards

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Published works

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  • Guastavino Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile (ISBN 1568987412, Princeton Architectural Press, 2010)

References

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  1. ^ "John A. Ochsendorf". MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Warehouse Housemasters". The Warehouse: Graduate Residence at MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "John A. Ochsendorf". MIT Morningside Academy for Design. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Rousseau, Caryn (September 23, 2008). "MacArthur Foundation awards 2008 'genius grants'". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  5. ^ "American Academy in Rome appoints John Ochsendorf as Director" (PDF). January 23, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Inspiring West Virginian: John Ochsendorf". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Students and faculty honored for their achievements". Cornell Chronicle. May 23, 1996. Retrieved October 21, 2011. Students who won $1,000 first prizes in the National Student Paper Competition for the 1996 International Bridge Conference were Barbara J. Jaeger for 'Evaluation of a Post-Tensioned Bridge Using the Impact-Echo Method' and John Ochsendorf for 'An Engineering Study of the Last Inca Suspension Bridge.'
  8. ^ "John Ochsendorf – MacArthur Foundation". Fulbright Program. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  9. ^ "A 2008 MacArthur Fellowship for John Ochsendorf, FAAR'08 in Historic Preservation and Conservation". September 23, 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  10. ^ "John Ochsendorf – MacArthur Foundation". www.macfound.org. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  11. ^ Ochsendorf, John; Freeman, Michael (photographs) (2010). Guastavino vaulting : the art of structural tile. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 978-1568987415.
  12. ^ "(Homepage)". Palaces for the People: Guastavino and America's Great Public Spaces. Archived from the original on December 23, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  13. ^ Ochsendorf, John. "(Homepage)". Guastavino.net. John Ochsendorf. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  14. ^ Ochsendorf, John (2010). Guastavino Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Architectural Press. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  15. ^ mituser. "John A. Ochsendorf". MIT CEE. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  16. ^ Dizikes, Peter (March 14, 2022). "MIT Morningside Academy for Design created as a new hub for cross-disciplinary education, research, and innovation". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  17. ^ Annear, Steve (April 29, 2015). "MIT dedicates monument to Sean Collier". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  18. ^ Yoon, J. Meejin. "Project: Sean Collier Memorial". MIT Architecture. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  19. ^ Dizikes, Peter (April 28, 2015). "New memorial a labor of love: Architects and engineers detail their novel design for MIT's Collier Memorial". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  20. ^ Humphries, Courtney (May 22, 2015). "The Making of MIT's Collier Memorial". Architect: the journal of the American Institute of Architects. Hanley Wood Media. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g Dizikes, Peter (October 27, 2023). "A marvel in masonry shows the art of the possible". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  22. ^ Valentine, Victoria L. (September 26, 2023). "A Feat of Engineering and Craftsmanship, Martin Puryear's First Brick Sculpture Was a Decade in the Making: 'It's Been an Adventure and a Challenge'". Culture Type. Culture Type, LLC. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  23. ^ Cortez, Benjamin (October 29, 2023). "Storm King Art Center Unveils "Lookout" Sculpture: A Fusion of Art and Engineering by Martin Puryear and MIT Collaborators". Hoodline. SFist LLC. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  24. ^ Design Futures Council Senior Fellows http://www.di.net/about/senior_fellows/ [permanent dead link‍]
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