09/08/2025
By Marie Frank
This year's annual James B. Francis Lecture on the Built Environment will focus on affordable housing, a critical issue both regionally and nationally.
Could AI (through computational design) and robotics help us design more attainable and sustainable affordable housing? We will hear from two speakers.
- Jessica Boatright, "Robotics and Resilient Affordable Housing." Jessica has worked for over twenty years in Boston's affordable housing programs, including serving as Director of Neighborhood Housing Development. She has recently joined Reframe Systems, an Andover-based construction company dedicated to creating attainable, resilient, and high-performance housing solutions. Their projects link affordable housing with climate technology and robotics.
- Steven Fallon, "The Architecture Factory: Rethinking Affordable Housing with AI and Design Intelligence." Steven is an alum of the Civil and Environmental Engineering program (2020) who went on to receive his Mater's in Architecture from Boston Architectural College. He is currently an Assistant Project Manager 2 for the MBTA in Boston and also an architectural designer for D21 Architects. He was a member of the 1st Prize Winning Team for an affordable housing competition in Revere, MA and will discuss how computational design can reshape affordable housing delivery.
The lecture is on Sept. 24 from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center Atrium. Free and open to the public.
Any questions? Contact Marie Frank, director of the Architectural Studies Program, at Marie_Frank@uml.edu.