People · Podcast guest
Mario Romero
Behind the Algorithms: Computational Design Secrets, ft. Nirmala + Mario at Perkins&Will
Mario Romero is a digital practice and computational design lead at Perkins&Will, featured on the Architecture Social Podcast and CPD.
- Current role
- Computational Designer
- Practice
- Perkins and Will
- Location
- United States
Conversation
The thinking behind the work.
Episode 0221 · Architecture Social
Behind the Algorithms: Computational Design Secrets, ft. Nirmala + Mario at Perkins&Will
Navigating complex design challenges requires more than creativity; it demands strategy and precision. Enter Nirmala Srinivasa and Mario Romero from Perkins&Will, masters of computational design. They’ll unpack how advanced tools help them tackle intricate projects, using real-time optioneering to pivot designs instantly and keep client needs front and center. Learn how parametric design optimizes material usage, cuts costs, and sharpens decision-making. Plus, discover how data-driven approaches
Explore episode moments
Use the timestamps below to find each moment in the full episode.
Selected work
Selected work.
London, United Kingdom · 2023
150 Holborn
Sidara's 182,955 sq ft London headquarters, combining a shared atrium workplace with circular design and intelligent building systems.
Explore the project ↗Dagenham, London, United Kingdom · 2021
UCL PEARL
A 60,816 sq ft research laboratory where full-scale streets and transport settings can be tested under controlled conditions.
Explore the project ↗Beijing, China · 2023
Beijing Performing Arts Centre
Three performance venues beside Beijing's Grand Canal, conceived as a group of lanterns within a public park.
Explore the project ↗Other public work
Shanghai Library East ↗
A 1.24 million sq ft cultural library organised as a floating volume above public pavilions, gardens and event space.
National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗
A 397,000 sq ft Smithsonian museum on the National Mall, shaped as a museum, memorial and place for learning.
About
The story so far.
The person behind the work.
Mario Romero is a digital practice and computational design lead at Perkins&Will, the global architecture and design practice. Over a career of around 17 years, which began at a supertall skyscraper design firm, he has focused on bringing parametric workflows and advanced design technology into everyday project delivery.
He works hand in hand with design teams to drive geometry with parameters and data, to speed up client optioneering, and to keep design software serving the design vision rather than constraining it. He describes computational design in plain terms: using parameters and algorithms to drive design decisions, something any designer can begin with, not a specialism reserved for programmers.
On the Architecture Social Podcast, Mario joined his Perkins&Will colleague Nirmala Srinivasa to walk through a real tech-campus project and show how a curved feature moved from sketch to a signed-off, buildable reality.
Watch or listen to the full conversation in the Architecture Social CPD: Computational Design in Practice, ft. Perkins&Will.
The practice
Perkins and Will
Design possesses the extraordinary ability to inspire joy, enrich lives, and foster a sense of community.
Architecture practice · Greater London
Expertise
What I bring.
- Current role
- Computational Designer
- Practice
- Perkins and Will
- Location
- United States
- On the podcast
- 1 episode · 2024
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