RESEARCH STUDIO (DIGITAL TECTONICS)
Faculty:
Marta Malé-Alemany
José Pedro Sousa
With the help of:
Luis Fraguada (assistant)
Shane Salisbury (assistant)
And the support of:
TECNOCIM / Missler Software Corporation
The house has been a continuous challenge throughout the history of architecture. In that sense, it has necessarily reflected the cultural framework and technological possibilities of each period. Given that digital production technologies have dramatically expanded today’s design and building possibilities, the subject of the house is a territory of critical experimentation. Departing from this assumption, the studio will re-think the design and construction of a single habitat, considering the new cultural and industrial paradigm of customization.
From a methodological point of view, the studio will investigate the impact of digital technologies for the production of architecture, with a particular focus on the integrated use of parametric design tools and digital fabrication equipment. For that matter, participating students will be required to enroll in the ‘Parametric Design’ seminar, which will provide the conceptual background and necessary skills for developing the project. The studio will work as a research unit, where all the students will contribute to a broad research agenda (individually and in small groups, depending on the work stage), investigating specific themes around the house and critically identifying opportunities for new developments (i.e. programmatic, geometric, constructive or environmental). Throughout the term, the work will be developed and evaluated with the construction of parametric digital models and physical experiments at 1:1 scale (including models and material prototypes).