Lecture: Melodie Yashar and Julian Ocampo

Melodie Yashar and Julian Ocampo
ICON and Large-scale Robotic Construction: The Future of Building on Earth and Other Worlds
Part of the MIT Fall 2024 Architecture Lecture Series. Presented with the Architecture and Urbanism Group.

This talk will discuss ICON’s technology development efforts advancing large-scale additive manufacturing and revolutionizing the impact of 3D printing on homebuilding—both on Earth and in space. ICON's robotics, material optimization and logistics of construction demonstrate a renewed ability to deliver homes with speed and increased resiliency. ICON’s new suite of technologies are designed to further automate construction, in addition to giving a glimpse into the future of homebuilding on the Moon and Mars.

Melodie is the Vice-President of Building Design and Performance at ICON. In 2020, Melodie joined ICON to establish and build the Architecture & Building Performance department. Disciplines under her management include: Construction Architecture, Architectural Technology, Structural Engineering, Building Science & Performance, and Regulatory Affairs. Melodie oversees the architectural direction of ICON’s built work as well as the performance of ICON’s building systems to deliver optimally-performing structures that shift the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and beyond.

In prior roles, Melodie was a Senior Research Associate within the Human Systems Integration Division at NASA Ames. She was a co-founder of Space Exploration Architecture, a NASA-funded research practice developing human supporting design concepts for space exploration. Her portfolio of space architecture work has been published and exhibited worldwide. Melodie was a professor at Pratt Institute and continues teaching limited coursework at Art Center College of Design. Melodie received a Master of Architecture from Columbia University and a Master of Human Computer Interaction from the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. She is an advocate for STEM education among minorities. She likes tiny robots. She would like to visit the Moon (though not yet Mars) in her lifetime.

Julian is the Senior Director of the Design+Build team at ICON, where he leads the design of the company’s innovative construction projects. In this role, he collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers, and designers to create cutting-edge structures using ICON’s proprietary 3D printing technology. Julian plays a key role in advancing ICON’s mission to address the global housing crisis by designing scalable, sustainable, and affordable housing solutions. His work integrates architectural design with advanced construction technologies to improve the speed, efficiency, and quality of building processes.

Prior to joining ICON, Julian worked at BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, where he led pioneering projects in collaboration with NASA, including habitat designs for Project Olympus, a program that explores space-based construction for long-term habitation on the Moon and Mars. He also contributed to the design of Mars Duna Alpha, a Martian simulation habitat built at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2022.

Julian’s diverse experience includes working at world-renowned studios such as Diller Scofidio + Renfro in New York, MVRDV in Rotterdam, and SelgasCano in Madrid. He holds an M.Arch from MIT and a B.Arch from the University of Waterloo. An active voice in architectural discourse, Julian regularly lectures at institutions like the AA Visiting School, IAAC Barcelona, and the Bienal Colombiana de Arquitectura.

Lectures are free and open to the public.