Less is More: Architecture’s Road to Maximum Efficiency with Masoud Akbarzadeh of the University of Pennsylvania

In every industry there’s a push to be more efficient, usually in our approach; improved methodology to increase accuracy in order to save both time and money is one example. In today’s episode, Masoud Akbarzadeh, assistant professor of architecture in structures and advanced technologies at the University of Pennsylvania, explains a different type of efficiency – one that involves the materials used and the way they interact with people and the planet. “In all of our research what we are trying to achieve is to reduce the amount of material that we are actually using for construction, to achieve lightweight-ness and in the meantime to preserve the performance,” Akbarzadeh said. We broke down efficiency in additive manufacturing of smart materials and robotic fabrication, and how Akbarzadeh is communicating these industry changes to his students.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the AEC Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @AECMKSL
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Energy
Buy, Build & AI: Your New Software Strategy for Energy Leaders
February 3, 2026

Energy companies are running into a hard truth: the old “buy vs. build” debate no longer fits today’s reality—especially as AI moves from experiment to expectation. A modern software strategy must now account for cloud-native, modular ecosystems, where open APIs, integrations, and AI-ready interfaces determine how quickly teams can launch, adapt, and scale. Early…

Read More
filmmaking
Lights, Camera, Authenticity: Why Trusting Your Voice Is the Most Radical Move in Filmmaking Today
February 3, 2026

The entertainment industry is at a crossroads, where questions of access, authorship, and technological disruption are reshaping who gets to tell stories—and how those stories get made. From the rise of AI-assisted tools to ongoing conversations about representation and gatekeeping, filmmaking today is as much about identity and equity as it is about craft….

Read More
AI in energy
May the Agentforce Be With You: AI in Energy Services
February 3, 2026

Generative AI has moved past being a shiny demo and into the messy reality of enterprise operations—where data lives in different systems, customers expect instant answers, and security teams (rightfully) say “prove it.” In energy services specifically, even small efficiency gains matter: many retail energy providers operate on thin margins, and operational blind spots—billing…

Read More
Energy billing
Nightmare on Revenue Street: Energy Billing Edition
February 3, 2026

Energy billing is one of those things most people only think about when something goes wrong—an unusually high charge, a missing bill, a surprise shutoff notice, or a rate plan that suddenly doesn’t make sense. With smart meters, more complex pricing options, and different rules in regulated vs. deregulated markets, even a small breakdown…

Read More