GROWING ARCHITECTURE
ITERATIVE GROWTH AND CELLS DIFFERENTIATION
Seminar Faculty: Andrea Graziano & Eugenio Bettucci

This seminar will focus on growth processes, investigated through iterative algorithmic strategies, and applied to urban size architecture starting from elementary spatial building blocks. The building blocks used will be treated as basic units of computation, able to store and compute data due to their topological and spatio-geometric qualities. Starting from an initial site, the growth process will be driven by internal and external conditions which limit and enhance the growth direction. The aggregation is then investigated and discretized into architectural elements which work as modular features.


Credits: Andrea Graziano


The seminar will explore the dual geometric/topological computing nature of spatial systems, using basic
iterative logics explored through Grasshopper and the Anemone plug-in, then will explore the blocks differentiation and articulation based on the specific aggregation geometric/topological properties. The cell process of differentiation to a more specialised type will be driven by a variety of algorithmic rules from network-based and topology-based to geometric conditions leading to a coherent architectural system.


Credits: Andrea Grazian0

Learning Objectives
At course completion the student will:

  • Reinforce computational thinking; 
  • Learn algorithmic strategies to approach building and urban block architectural design explorations; 
  • Learn how to use iterative tools and to manage data structure complexity; 
  • Be able to encode/decode data into/from geometry and exploit its spatial-topological structure to support design strategies.

 


Credits: Roger Stirk Harbour + Partners

Faculty

Andrea Graziano is an architect and computational designer, member and co-founder of Co-de-iT – Computational Design Italy, currently engaged in teaching international workshops about computational design, digital tools and robotic fabrication in architectural design, lecturing and consultancy work. Andrea is member and co-founder of digifabTURINg, a research cluster focused on digital fabrication, computation, robotics and material research applied in the field of architecture, design & art. Andrea acts as an active catalyst through his intense activity of social networking of the paradigm-shift in the fields of architectural research, computation and science. A ‘digital explorer’ and ‘knowmad’ aiming to research, curate and envision the rapid evolution of science, technology, art and philosophy, their possible convergence and tooling into design and architecture.

co-de-it.com
twitter.com/digitag
linkedin.com/in/andrea-graziano-230677b9/ 


Eugenio Bettucchi is a civil engineer with a degree in Building Engineering & Architecture from Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna (IT). He developed his thesis focusing on robotic material deposition based on real-time feedback. Actually he is senior designer at Noumena, his interests and skills lie in computational design and digital fabrication. He is part of the IaaC team assisting students in MRAC (master in Robotic and Advanced Construction. He has been involved in the 3DPA master and in the ROMI  project (Robotics for Micro Farming) contributing to the development of autonomous aerial solutions.

linkedin.com/in/eugenio-bettucchi-b59683b5