This weeks Designer Spotlight focuses on Alia Hasan, of Archetype Z Studio, an architect with a flair for jewelry design.

What brought you to 3D printing with Shapeways? 

I came across a website for another company that did 3D printing and was impressed at how far the technology had come along since I had used it briefly in grad school. The site was difficult to use and 3D printing was expensive so I searched for other companies until I finally came across Shapeways.

How did you learn how to design in 3D?

I did my undergraduate degree at Berkeley in Architecture and took a FormZ class to learn 3D modeling (at the time we didn't use computers in the architecture studio courses so you had to take a separate course in it). After graduating I did a little bit of 3D modeling of architectural projects but it wasn't until grad school at UCLA that I started using 3D software programs on a daily basis and really felt comfortable with it.

How would you describe your creative process?

I usually start with some concept or form I get fixated on and I sketch it out until I have a clear direction on what I want to model. Sometimes the modeling is just translating those sketches and sometimes the sketches are a jumping-off point and the design becomes something else. I'm not usually satisfied until I feel I've created something I feel is unique. And though I didn't intend for it to be this way, my designs are inspired a lot by architecture.

How do you promote your work?

To be honest I'm not very good at this... I try to use my facebook business page and have started using twitter. To really promote your work you have to do it consistently every day and I would much rather be designing!

Who are your favorite designers or artists?

Most of my favorite designers are architects - Shigeru Ban, Zaha Hadid, Foreign Office Architects, Herzog de Meuron... I could go on for a while but I'll stop there.

Who in the Shapeways community has served as an inspiration to you?

I often find myself wasting hours on the Shapeways site because of checking out all the amazing things people come up with. A couple of my favorites are the Animarus creations by Theo Jansen and any of the product designs by Michiel Cornelissen.

What's your favorite material?

Concrete. Before architecture school I thought it was a horrible, ugly material. But after seeing so many amazing examples of concrete in architecture and seeing how it was this great fluid material that has a very pure quality in design, I learned to love it. It would be so cool to 3d print concrete but I guess the Polished Alumide will have to do for now.

If you weren't limited by current technologies, what would you want to make using 3D printing?

I would love to design furniture that is made of one continuous form (no bolts or screws, or any adhesives to connect parts). I'd also love to design elaborate 3d printed food... I think I read recently that 3d printed food is already being done somewhere in a lab!

Check out her architectural designs at her Shapeways Shop Archetype Z Studio or her website www.aliahasan.com