Georgia Tech School of Architecture’s new chair and William Harrison Professor of Architecture, Ingeborg Rocker, will continue in the footsteps of Georgia Tech professor emeritus Chuck Eastman, considered by many to be the father of building Information Modeling (BIM).
“I am especially excited to contribute to the legacy of [Georgia Tech professor emeritus] Chuck Eastman,” said Rocker. “He has been a role model for generations of architects, linking early on computation and architecture.”
BIM is the foundation architects use to create ‘Virtual Twins’ of buildings, infrastructures, and cities, which Rocker worked on at Dassault Systèmes, in her previous role as the software company’s vice president for industry innovations. “It’s the complete simulation, from design to the entire lifecycle management and assessment of a building,” she said.
Rocker began her tenure in the new role start of this month. In her previous role at Dassault Systèmes, she led projects such as sustainable cross-industry innovation, cyber-physical systems in manufacturing and construction, as well as smart city programs like Virtual Singapore. She also co-founded Rocker-Lange Architects in 2006, an award-winning architectural practice—a think- and do-tank—focused on research, which works likewise across different scales such as sustainable product design, architecture, and urbanism. She was also lead designer at Eisenman Architects.
In the present capacity, Rocker will lead the school’s 22 full time faculty members, more than 300 students, and undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, and professional degrees. She will open a research lab dedicated to Sustainable Industry Innovation, in addition to the school’s five research labs which link academics and industry through applied research.