Larry Sass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lawrence Sass
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Sass 2020
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Lawrence Sass
23 March 1964 |
| Alma mater | Pratt Institute,BA MIT, SMArchS & PhD |
| Occupation | Professor |
| Known for | Digitally Fabricated House for New Orleans (2008) |
| Scientific career | |
| Doctoral advisor | William J. Mitchell |
Lawrence (Larry) Sass is a person who designs buildings, does research, and teaches about architecture. He is a professor at the MIT. There, he leads a special group that studies how computers can help design and build houses. His work focuses on using digital tools to create homes.
Early Life and Learning
Larry Sass became interested in architecture when he was young. He read books about buildings while visiting his uncle in Harlem, New York City. This sparked his passion for design.
He studied architecture at the Pratt Institute and earned his first degree in 1990. Later, he went to MIT for more advanced studies. He earned two more degrees from MIT, finishing his Ph.D. in 2000. For his Ph.D., he used computers to rebuild old designs by a famous architect named Andrea Palladio.
Amazing Projects
In 2008, one of Sass's big ideas was shown at the MoMA in an exhibit called "Home Delivery." His project was named "Digitally Fabricated House for New Orleans."
This project imagined a future where people could order parts for their homes online. These parts would then be delivered and put together on site. Sass wanted to make it easier for everyone to design their own homes. He believed that technology should help more people, not just a few.
He said, "Most technology is designed for the top 10 percent... I want to develop methods for the other 90 percent to participate in the design process." He wanted people to be able to build their own neighborhoods and homes. This way, buildings would truly show what people wanted.
Sass continued to work on these ideas. In 2018, he finished a project called "Digital Fabrication of Affordable Housing for Somerville, MA." This project used a small model, one-sixteenth the actual size. It was made from laser-cut and 3D-printed parts that fit together. This model was a test for how computers could help build affordable homes.
In Larry Sass's vision of the future, new buildings will rise faster, use fewer resources, cost less, and be more delightful to the eye than ever before. This transformation will be made possible through digital fabrication, a new delivery system for buildings that will enable architects to send computer-designed plans directly to manufacturing--perhaps soon to be 3-D printed. — Kathryn M. O'Neill, "3-D Printed Buildings for A Developing World", MIT Spectrum (Winter 2014)
Personal Life
Larry Sass is married to Theresa Sass, who is a psychologist. They have three children. They also serve as the Head of MacGregor House at MIT, which is a place where students live.
