Who we are
ILIAD researchers and collaborators come from backgrounds in architecture, design, sciences, and informatics. Our research interests transverse these and other academic disciplines that include fabrication techniques, participatory design, design research, spatial analysis, community engagement, social studies of science and technology, and information sciences and technologies. We’re interested in the use of novel technology both hardware and software, for our research, teaching, and practice.
What we do
We foster and support spaces for co-creation in which possible alternative futures can be imagined. We articulate research, teaching, and practice of design and architecture for the transformation of the built environment and the creation of spaces of possibility. We are most interested in cultivating a sense of place for those who have been displaced (including non-human beings) and so, we often collaborate with community organizations that envision other ways of inhabiting together.
History
ILLIAD was created in 2018 by its current director, Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Illinois, Aaron Brakke. Collaboration across disciplines and borders is fostered today to make the Living Lab a reality.