Acadia 2025 – Computing for Resilience

Conference Overview & Themes

FIU was selected to host the ACADIA 2025 conference over many other universities, including the runner-up Texas Tech, for several reasons. Of those, the most important was that the FIU School of Architecture’s Robotics and Digital Fabrication (RDF) Lab offers a necessary environment for hands-on experimentation critical to the conference’s success. The lab’s work in environmental design, workforce training, and computational design demonstrates the quality and relevance of FIU’s contributions to the field, making FIU the ideal host.

The ACADIA 2025 theme, COMPUTING for RESILIENCE: Expanding Community Knowledge & Impact, tackles the challenge of building resilience in a world that’s becoming more uncertain, a situation clearly visible in Miami. The city faces urgent physical, economic, and climate challenges, making it a model for resilience and adaptation.

In the realm of computation and fabrication in architecture, the theme encourages exploring advanced solutions and resilient design methods that address uncertainties. This conference will gather the expertise and creativity of architects, designers, and technologists to tackle these issues. By utilizing innovative computational tools and fabrication techniques, the conference seeks to broaden community knowledge and make lasting impacts beyond architecture, turning Miami’s challenges into opportunities for pioneering urban solutions.

Conference Activities

The program will include keynote lectures, award ceremonies, research presentations, panel discussions, exhibitions, and book showcases, with around 300 international scholars and industry leaders expected to participate. The theme emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, technological innovation, and resilience, positioning FIU and Miami as a global hub for dialogue on architecture, computation, and sustainable futures.

Basic Logistics

Workshops (Nov. 3–5)

FIU MMC: PCA BEA Gallery and PCA Robotics and Digital Fabrication (RDF) Lab (4 workshops)
UM: Murphy Design Studio and RAD Lab (4 workshops)

Main Conference (Nov. 6–8)

FIU MMC, SASC Auditorium RM 160 and Lobby (all events at FIU)

Register

Innovative 3D-Printed Pavilion Unveiled at FIU Campus for ACADIA 2025 Conference

Partnership Among Pininfarina, Alpha Additive, FIU, and UM Showcases Future of Computational Design and Advanced Manufacturing!

Florida International University (FIU) and the University of Miami (UM) are proud to host a sculptural pavilion at the ACADIA 2025 Conference, Computing for Resilience. The result of a unique collaboration between world-renowned Italian design firm Pininfarina and American manufacturing innovator Alpha Additive, the pavilion represents a bold fusion of art, architecture, and technology with environmental responsibility.
Named “Dual,” the pavilion demonstrates a breakthrough in sustainable construction, utilizing large-format 3D printing with a novel composite material that blends recycled car tire rubber with thermoplastic. By repurposing waste tires, a significant environmental problem that sends millions to landfills annually, the project transforms manufacturing waste into a building material. The design merges Pininfarina’s sculptural approach with algorithmic and performance-driven engineering. The monocoque form serves as a structure, where the aerodynamic shape provides all necessary support without additional framework.

Why It Matters

DUAL demonstrates the viability of recycled materials and large-format 3D printing at architectural scale. The full-sized pavilion proves that additive manufacturing can produce complete structures from reclaimed waste materials. “This project demonstrates what’s possible when we combine design and recycled materials with advanced additive manufacturing,” says Kimberly Ramia from Alpha Additive. “We’re showing that sustainable construction at scale is not just feasible- it’s here.” Alpha Additive, which specializes in custom industrial 3D printing machines and robotic automation, collaborated with FIU’s Robotics and Digital Fabrication Lab and the University of Miami’s B.E. and W.R. Miller Fabrication Lab on the project, providing students access to advanced manufacturing technology.

Educational Impact

Following the conference, the pavilion will remain on FIU’s main campus through November, serving as a hands-on research platform for architecture students. The installation offers a complete case study of the design-to-fabrication workflow, from Pininfarina’s computational design methodologies to Alpha Additive’s advanced manufacturing processes. Students will conduct an in-depth analysis of the recycled composite material properties, examine the modular assembly system, and investigate how computational design integrated with large-format printing expands the possibilities of buildable architecture. Drawing on insights gained from the pavilion, students will develop their own experimental designs and fabrication strategies in FIU’s Robotics and Digital Fabrication (RDF) Lab, translating theoretical knowledge into practical applications that advance sustainable construction methods.

Installation

Dual was printed and assembled in Lakeland, FL, then transported to FIU’s MMC campus. The pavilion is sited adjacent to the Paul Cejas Architecture Building (PCA) at 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, Florida 33199. After its residency on campus, the structure will move to Art Basel at the end of November.

ACADIA 2025- RECAP

Day One: Monday, November 3, 2025