Sunday, March 24, 2013

Facades+ PERFORMANCE April 11-12


If you haven't already, be sure to Register for the Facades+ PERFORMANCE conference.  The conference takes placed April 11-12 in New York City!

Be sure to check out my workshop!

CALIBRATED FACADES 
(Grasshopper + Revit)

This workshop will investigate Computational Design and BIM-related processes for designing, rationalizing, and documenting complex façade systems using real-world constraints and workflows. Using Grasshopper, participants will design and develop a multivariable parametric façade assembly with considerations for modularity and structural support concepts. The workshop will guide participants through several techniques for rationalizing complex façades into efficient and constructible components using paneling techniques, surface analysis, and data visualization. Following the design and development, the workshop will also introduce participants to new automated workflows for documenting the façade system with Revit BIM.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Catalyst 2013: Workshop Results!

Catalyst week has finished up at UMN.  It was an intense 5-day workshop where graduate students explored a large data set of alumni records and school history as part of the School of Architecture's upcoming 100 year celebration.  Students were challenged to use these records as a form generator by linking key outputs and queries to control a parametric system and inform a material strategy.

The students created diagrams, schematic drawings, renderings, parametric algorithms, scaled models, and 1-1 mock-ups.  The ideas generated in the workshop will be used as the starting point for a complete installation to be exhibited in October as part of a black-tie UMN alumni event.

Other Catalyst workshops occurred in parallel.  Guest instrucors included Kiel Mo from the Harvard GSD, Billie Faircloth from Kieran Timberlake,  Karen Lewis from OSU, and Barry Kudrowitz from UMN.

For a full gallery of our week-long process, check out the wiki page...

Here are some snapshots from the Material In/Formation workshop led by Adam Marcus and myself....

Adam Marcus introduces the lecture for Case, Inc.
Students get a shop equipment tutorial.
Diagram of assembling a system of used plotter tubes

Rendering of a plotter tube assembly
Mock-up of the tube connections.
A study for a tetrahedral tiling pattern
Rendering of a lattice surface.
Plasma cutting metal components for a lattice mock-up.
Plywood component connections driven by time and geographic relationships.
Prototype assembly of plywood discs.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Arch 223 Spring 2013: Assignment 02

The second assignment for the Spring 2013 semester is in...

Like Assignment 02 from the Fall, the students were tasked with remixing the "Gothic" style of architecture using digital tools and a little elbow grease.  This semester, I also had them try out some animation tools in both Rhino and Blender 3D.  Instead of boards, they submitted slide presentations... which culminated in a surprise Pecha Kucha-style presentation on the due date.

Looks like they are having fun... as are the TAs, Matt and Dan :)

Student: Phuc Trinh
Student: William Pokojski
Student: Justine McCarty
Student: Phillip Wiebe