The Center for Architecture is pleased to host a roundtable discussion celebrating the book launch of Claying Architecture: Making Machine and Material Kin (ORO Editions/Applied Research + Design Publishing, 2026 ) edited by Shelby Doyle, Frank Melendez, Jonathan A. Scelsa, and Kelley Van Dyck Murphy. This publication presents a curated collection of essays, interviews, and projects from leading architects, designers, and researchers who are analyzing the role of clay 3D printing in contemporary architecture. The book blends research, theory, and practice to highlight how this ancient material is being reimagined through 3D printing, robotic fabrication, and innovative construction techniques. The roundtable event and book launch, sponsored by the Pratt School of Architecture, will bring together the voices of the editors, several of the book's 30 guest contributors, and respondent Lola Ben-Alon to discuss why clay has become a protagonist in contemporary architecture as an agent capable of binding new kinships between processes, environments, and culture.

Speakers:
Shelby Doyle, AIA, LEED AP, Associate Professor of Architecture, Iowa State University; Co-founder, ISU Computation & Construction Lab
Frank Melendez, Founding Partner, bioMATTERS LLC; Associate Professor and Chair, School of Architecture at the Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York, CUNY
Jonathan A. Scelsa, AIA, FAAR, Founding Partner, OP – Architecture Landscape; Professor of Architectural Design and Technology, Pratt Institute
Kelley Van Dyck Murphy, Associate Professor of Architecture, Sam Fox School, Washington University in St. Louis; Founding Partner, AVV A

Respondents:
Lola Ben-Alon, PhD, Assistant Professor, Columbia GSAPP; Director, Natural Materials Lab, Columbia GSAPP

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