We're excited to announce that Prof. Masoud Akbarzadeh will be the speaker at the next VCD on November 7th! This talk will take place at Structurecraft's Vancouver office (2425 Quebec St. Suite 302), with doors opening at 5:30, and the talk starting 6:00 PST. The talk will also be streamed at https://www.twitch.tv/vcdtalks.

Masoud is the founder of Polyhedral Structures Laboratory (PSL), which is a research unit at Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania. His research primarily focuses on advancing structural and architectural geometry, as well as construction technologies.

Masoud's talk will cover the design and construction of a concrete 3D-printed, post-tensioned funicular beam prototype and the experimental test results of subjecting the beam to four-point bending. The beam is designed as a combined compression and tension funicular system with minimized mass and optimized reinforcement. His study establishes a foundational basis that will be used to further develop and enhance such structural systems for more sustainable construction practices in the future.