US State Department hosts panel on architecture & cross-cultural collaboration in Second Life on October 18

I just got word from In Kenzo that this Sunday, October 18, at 1PM EST that the US State Department is sponsoring a global panel on "how architects utilize virtual technologies for international development partnerships."  Noted virtual architects Keystone Bouchard, JudyArx Scribe, DB Bailey and Archi Vita will be speaking during this hour long panel at Public Diplomacy plaza on Annenberg followed by a tour of key architectural collaborations inworld.

Of particular interest is a collaboration between two architects in Egypt and the United States who have worked together to create a reimagined Cairo in Second Life.

Click here to teleport directly to Annenberg sim during the event. For those who cannot log in at the Second Life destination a streaming audio URL will be provided Sunday morning to listen in live.

The complete public release about the event follows...

FOR INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE

The United States Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs invites you to attend
Architectural Design and International Collaboration in Virtual Worlds

The panel will discuss how architects utilize virtual technologies for international development partnerships. Panelists from various countries will explore the efficiency of virtual worlds and shared 3D design platforms as environments conducive to cross-cultural collaboration.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

10:00am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) or 10:00am Second Life Time (SLT)
1:00pm in Washington DC
7:00pm in Cairo, Egypt

The panelists for this event (and Second Life avatars):

• Amr Attia (Archi Vita), Architect, Urban Planner and Associate Professor of Architecture and Planning at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt
• Jon Brouchoud (Keystone Bouchard), Owner, The ARCH Network, Studio Wikitecture Founder based in Madison, Wisconsin
• Judy Cockeram (JudyArx Scribe), Architecture Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
• David Denton (DB Bailey), Architect and Urban Planner located in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles, California

President Barack Obama, in his speech from Egypt this June, spoke of international collaboration as a high priority for all: "We will match promising Muslim students with internships in America; invest in on-line learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network, so a teenager in Kansas can communicate instantly with a teenager in Cairo." Can virtual worlds be the online network
that facilitates international collaboration? Projects like Studio Wikitecture led by Keystone Bouchard in SL demonstrate that 3D virtual spaces can be a rich and useful toolkit for architects to work together and share common elements. This panel will explore cooperative design projects where international architecture in virtual space may be more efficient than a flight from the United States to Egypt. Amr Attia and David Denton have worked together as architects in Second Life for the last two years. Their ongoing work has brought unique benefits to Cairo and California where these gentlemen architects work in their
respective studios. Amr and David will share their experiences followed by a tour of their reimagined Cairo mall built in Second Life as a example of architectural collaboration across borders. Judy Cockeram, a professor of architecture at The University of Auckland in New Zealand, will share how her students have used Second Life to redesign public spaces with stakeholders and organizations.

The State Department Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) explores 3-D virtual world platforms like Second Life for showcasing and hosting IIP products and services. IIP engages international audiences on issues of foreign policy, society, and values to create an environment that can be receptive to U.S. national interests and foster open dialogue. IIP communicates with foreign opinion makers and other public audiences through a wide range of print and electronic materials published in seven world languages. IIP also provides information outreach support to U.S. embassies and consulates in more than 140 countries worldwide.

Teleport Location:
Hosted on Annenberg Island in Second Life http://slurl.com/secondlife/Annenberg/181/97/25

Points of Contact:
Bill May (Serotta Keynes), U.S. Department of State virtual-iip@state.gov
Denise Pirnia (Mishie Sands), U.S. Department of State pirniada@state.gov
Evonne Heyning (In Kenzo), Event Producer evoamo@gmail.com

Group Information in Second Life:
For more information about upcoming events, please register for our group “Public Diplomacy”

Expectations for this Event
The panelists will use streaming audio capabilities to broadcast into Second Life. We request that all participants use the typed Public Chat window for all comments and questions during the event. The Public
Chat window will also be used during the Question and Answer part of the event. Tourguides will include links and visits to key architectural builds after the panel event. We request that guests arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the virtual event; this will ensure you have time to address technical questions. Upon arrival please take a seat in one of the audience chairs facing the panelists and click the play arrow at the bottom left of your screen next to the musical note icon to start streaming audio.
If you have any questions regarding the organization of this event please send an email or Instant Message to Mishie Sands or In Kenzo in Second Life. If you run into technical issues during this event please IM Mystique Lacombe, Resident Annenberg or Buffy Beale in Second Life.

Comments

[Prokofy Neva]

Could you provide the SLURL for this build of Cairo in SL? I don't see it in the list of places.

[rikomatic]

I'll try and found out, but it wasn't available as of press time.

[Silver Earrings]

I loved the type ad commenting system very clean and very efficient.

Love to read more from you on the topic above

[Draxtor]

a great event with the leaders in the field. i hope our Gov will follow up with more interesting panels. Machinima on event here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP1vr3zSVCE

[rikomatic]

thanks, drax!

[draxtor]

video now dubbed in Arabic, link here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_CrD9MsapQ

great job doing voice-over by Muath M Alsufy.