Guvenc Ozel

Guvenc Ozel is an architect, artist and researcher. He is the Technology Director of IDEAS, a multidisciplinary research and development platform in UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, and the principal of Ozel Office, an interdisciplinary design practice located in Los Angeles, USA, working at the intersection of architecture, visual arts, technology and research on urban culture. Ozel studied architecture, sculpture, and philosophy in Bennington College, USA. In addition, he holds a Masters of Architecture degree from Yale University, where he graduated with multiple awards. Prior to establishing his own practice and research, he worked in the offices of Rafael Vinoly, Jürgen Mayer H. and Frank Gehry, among others. His projects were exhibited in museums and galleries in the USA and Europe such as Istanbul Museum of Modern Art and The Saatchi Gallery in London. He formerly taught at Yale University, Woodbury University and University of Applied Arts in Vienna. His recent work has been heavily published in online and print media such as CNN, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Huffington Post, Architectural Digest, Wired, Gizmodo, BoingBoing, Creators Project/ Vice, Archdaily, Archinect, Dwell, Designboom, among others. At UCLA IDEAS, besides determining the overall pedagogical objectives for technological experimentation, he continues his research on robotics and sensing devices for creating reactive environments that challenge contemporary fabrication techniques and spatial assemblies. He led a competition design team that included researchers from UCLA and the project was awarded fourth prize in NASA’s 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge.