Biography

Dr. Nathan King is Senior Manager, Research Science, focusing on the future of industrialized construction and contributes to the development of strategic initiatives related to robotics, automation, and the future of industry. In addition, Nathan was instrumental in the development of the Autodesk Technology Center in Boston and continues to work with industry to provide innovation opportunities. King is active in industry, practice, academia, and policy—working to create opportunities at their intersection. Nathan’s work spans the globe with built work in Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Haiti, Sweden, Dominican Republic, United States, and beyond. Prior to joining Autodesk, Nathan was a Director at Mass Design Group where he focused on the development of building technologies for low-resource settings. Recently, he has held a governmental appointment as National Healthcare Infrastructure Advisor to the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Zambia where he worked to introduce technology-enhanced construction processes for use in distributed healthcare facilities. King is currently a faculty member at Virginia Tech where he is co-director of the Center for Design Research (CDR) where he lead a number of programs including a new initiative supported by the Institute for Critical and Applied Science focused on the democratization of design technology through work with regional HBCUs; lecturer in architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design on topics relating to automation in design and construction; and Instructor at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design focusing on robotics and autonomous systems in design.

Publications

• Li, C., Yuan, M., Faircloth, B., Anderson, J., King, N., & Stuart-Smith, R. (2022, October 27). Smart Branching: An Experimental Method for Heterogeneous Branching Networks using Non-planar 3D Printed Clay Deposition. In Hybrids & Haecceities Conference & Proceedings.
• Dunaway, D., Rothbart, D., Gwinn, L., King, N., & Stuart-Smith, R. (2022, October 27). Introducing Bespoke Properties to Slip Cast Elements: Designing a Process for Robotically Controlled Rotational Casting. In ACADIA 2022: Hybrids & Haecceities Conference & Proceedings.
• Nathan King, “Technologies for Inclusion” in, Ferdous, F., & Bell, B. (2020). All-Inclusive Engagement in Architecture: Towards the Future of Social Change (1st ed.). Routledge.
• Tish, D., King, N. & Cote, N. Highly accessible platform technologies for vision-guided, closed-loop robotic assembly of unitized enclosure systems. Constr. Robot (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-020-00030-z
• Lewis, Trevor Stephen, et al. “”Toward an Automated Robotic Fabrication Workflow for Structurally Optimized Multispecies Wooden Network Shells.”” Proceedings of IASS Annual Symposia. Vol. 2018. No. 20. International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS), 2018.
• N. King, N.Melenbrink, N.Cote, and G. Fagerstrom. “BUILD-ing the Lo-Fab Pavilion: Dynamo-driven collaborative robotic fabrication workflows for the construction of spatial structures” in Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Robots in Architecture, Art, and Design (RobArch), 2016
• M. Bechthold, a. Kane and N.King “Ceramic Material Systems in Architecture and Interior Design” Birkhauser, De Gruyter Berlin, November 2015
• M. Bechthold, N.King and A. Kane “Keramische Bausysteme
  in Architektur und Innenarchitektur” Birkhauser, De Gruyter Berlin, September 2015.
• N. Melenbrink and N. King “Fulldome Interfacing: A Real-time Immersive Environment as a Design Tool” in Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference on Computer-Aided Computational Design in Asia (CAADRIA), Daegu, Republic of Korea, May 2015.
• N. King, R. Vroman, K. King, and O. Mesa “Innovating Ceramics: Technology, Collaboration, and Pedagogy” in The Journal National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), NCECA 2015
• N. King, J. Grinham, D. Saladik, M. Murphy, and A. Ricks “ Crafting Eclipsis: Integrated Computational Design and Automation Through Programmed Craft-Based Fabrication in the Developing World” in Proceedings of the 2014 International ACSA Conference, Seoul Korea, June 2014
• N. King, S. Pender, J. Grinham, R. Vroman, and D Clark “ Beyond Digital Steroids: a Pedagogical Approach to Foundation Design Through Design Robotics” in Proceedings of the 2014 International ACSA Conference, Seoul Korea, June 2014
• N. King. M. Bechthold, A.Kane, P. Michalatos, “ Robotic Tile Placement: Tools Techniques and Feasibility”” , in Journal of Automation in Construction. 2015
• N.King, M. Bechthold, and A. Kane “Modular Automation Strategies for Robotic Fabrication” in Fabricating the Future by Philip F. Yuan and Neil Leach, Tongji University Press, 2012
• M. Bechthold and N. King “Design Robotics: A Strategic Research Approach”” , Proceedings of the 2012 Robot In Architecture, Art, and Design Conference; Vienna, Austria, 2012* (*Conference December 2012)
• N. King. and J. Grinham “ Automating Eclipsis: Robotic Fabrication of Optimized Metal Façade Components “” , Proceedings of the 2012 Robot In Architecture, Art, and Design Conference; Vienna, Austria, 2012* (*Conference December 2012)
• S. Andreani. J.L Garcia del Castillo, A. Jyoti, N. King, and M. Bechthold, “ Flowing Matter: Robotic Fabrication of Tectonic Ceramic Systems”” , Project Presentation, Acadia Conference, San Francisco California, October 2012
• N. King. M. Bechthold, A.Kane, P. Michalatos, “ Robotic Tile Placement: Tools Techniques and Feasibility”” , Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Eindhoven Netherlands, 2012* (*Conference June 2012)
• S. Andreani. J.L Garcia del Castillo, A. Jyoti, N. King, and M. Bechthold, “ Flowing Matter: Robotic Fabrication of Tectonic Ceramic Systems”” , Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Eindhoven Netherlands, 2012
• M.Bechthold, N.King, A.Kane, J.Niemasz, and C.Reinhart,”” Integrated Environmental Design and Robotic Fabrication Workflow for Ceramic Shading Systems”” , Proceedings of the 28th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, Seoul Korea, 2011
• T.Kaur, M. Lutz, J Singh, N.King “”PLUG: An Interdisciplinary Faculty-Student Collaboration at Virginia Tech””, Proceedings from the 2007 Dean’s Forum on the Environment, Virginia Tech, 2007