“Tools of Imagination” Wednesday, October 29th, 5:00p.m. est EMPAC Theater Rensselaer Architecture continues its fall 2025 lecture series Wednesday, October 29 at 5p.m. est with the lecture “Tools of Imagination” by Michael Hansmeyer. Michael Hansmeyer is an architect and programmer who explores the use of algorithms to generate and fabricate architectural form. His recent projects include two full-scale 3D-printed sandstone grottos, the production of an intricate Muqarna for Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, the installation of a hall of columns at Grand Palais in Paris, and the design of the 3D-printed Tor Alva aka White Tower in the Swiss Alps. His work has been exhibited at museums and venues such as the Museum of Arts and Design New York, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Martin Gropius Bau Berlin, Design Miami / Basel, and the Gwangju Design Biennale. His designs are featured in the permanent collections of the FRAC Centre and Centre Pompidou. Tor Alva (“The White Tower”), the world’s tallest 3D-printed building, was officially unveiled on May 20th, 2025 in the Alpine village of Mulegns, Switzerland. A helicopter dramatically lifted the protective membrane off of the 30 meter tall tower, revealing the computationally designed, 3D-printed concrete structure to the public for the first time. Designed by Michael Hansmeyer and Benjamin Dillenburger with ETH Zurich for the Origen Cultural Foundation, Tor Alva reimagines Mulegns’ cultural legacy through groundbreaking architecture. Functioning as both a beacon for the village and an immersive performance space, it is crowned by a cupola theater enveloped in a forest of filigree branching columns—a breathtaking venue above the village rooftops. Digital Grotesque III (above) presents a radical experiment in computational autonomy, where artificial intelligence becomes not merely a tool, but an independent creative force capable of conceiving and populating entire worlds. Premiered at Nowy Teatr, Warsaw, for BMW’s 2022 Art Club, this installation marks a decisive departure from the collaborative human-computer partnerships explored in earlier Digital Grotesque projects for FRAC Centre and Centre Pompidou. Here, the algorithm transcends its traditional role as assistant, emerging as an autonomous architect of the unprecedented. Michael has taught architecture as a visiting professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and at Southeast University in Nanjing, and as a lecturer at the CAAD group of ETH Zurich. He previously worked for Herzog & de Meuron architects, as well as in the financial and consulting industries. Michael holds a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University. https://michael-hansmeyer.com/