Ali Ghazvinian
Assistant Professor
aghazvinian@marywood.edu
School of Architecture
Cntr for Architectural Studies 232
Courses taught:
Design Studio VII ARCH-410Building Technologies VII ARCH-457
Building Technologies VII ARCH-577
Ali Ghazvinian (Alighaz) is an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Architectural Engineering at Marywood University. His academic background spans civil engineering, architectural engineering, and architecture, with degrees from the University of Tehran and The Pennsylvania State University.
Alighaz teaches building technology, architectural and architectural engineering design studios, and courses that bring design and technical knowledge together through making. He values a personalized approach to teaching and learning and believes that there is no one-size-fits-all method for design and engineering education, even in large classrooms. He encourages students to experiment, ask questions, and pursue ideas that may initially seem a little crazy. His approach to teaching earned him the Hemphill Wells New Faculty Teaching Excellence Award at Texas Tech University.
His research explores how unconventional construction materials and methods can generate new architectural possibilities through material research, hands-on fabrication, and experimentation. A central part of his work is making emerging materials and technologies more accessible to everyone by exploring approaches that can be developed without specialized equipment or expertise. His work has been recognized through the SOM Foundation Research Prize and the AIA Upjohn Research Initiative, and he is an awardee of the IASS Innovative Lightweight Structures Competition and the Outstanding Doctoral Researcher Medallion from Penn State University. His built work has been exhibited in venues including the University of Virginia Biomaterials Building Expo, Kent State University Museum, and the IASS Annual Symposium at ETH Zurich (2024), and includes explorations of mycelium-based materials, biomaterials, and unconventional structural systems, including a lightweight pavilion constructed from reclaimed golf clubs.
Outside the studio, Alighaz is an avid soccer fan and former goalkeeper who still follows the game closely. He enjoys live music, cooking, and experimenting with food and drinks, and often finds himself making something whether he is in the studio, the kitchen, or behind the bar. For him, making is not simply a way of producing things, but a way of staying curious, learning, and connecting with others.
Please find the full list of publications at: https://tinyurl.com/AlighazGoogleScholar
Alighaz teaches building technology, architectural and architectural engineering design studios, and courses that bring design and technical knowledge together through making. He values a personalized approach to teaching and learning and believes that there is no one-size-fits-all method for design and engineering education, even in large classrooms. He encourages students to experiment, ask questions, and pursue ideas that may initially seem a little crazy. His approach to teaching earned him the Hemphill Wells New Faculty Teaching Excellence Award at Texas Tech University.
His research explores how unconventional construction materials and methods can generate new architectural possibilities through material research, hands-on fabrication, and experimentation. A central part of his work is making emerging materials and technologies more accessible to everyone by exploring approaches that can be developed without specialized equipment or expertise. His work has been recognized through the SOM Foundation Research Prize and the AIA Upjohn Research Initiative, and he is an awardee of the IASS Innovative Lightweight Structures Competition and the Outstanding Doctoral Researcher Medallion from Penn State University. His built work has been exhibited in venues including the University of Virginia Biomaterials Building Expo, Kent State University Museum, and the IASS Annual Symposium at ETH Zurich (2024), and includes explorations of mycelium-based materials, biomaterials, and unconventional structural systems, including a lightweight pavilion constructed from reclaimed golf clubs.
Outside the studio, Alighaz is an avid soccer fan and former goalkeeper who still follows the game closely. He enjoys live music, cooking, and experimenting with food and drinks, and often finds himself making something whether he is in the studio, the kitchen, or behind the bar. For him, making is not simply a way of producing things, but a way of staying curious, learning, and connecting with others.
Presentations and Publications
Please find the full list of publications at: https://tinyurl.com/AlighazGoogleScholar