Instructor: Nicholas Bruscia
ARC 619
Spring 2022
DESCRIPTION:
The influence of the technical arts on traditional forms of architecture has carried through to present day, reinvented by the accessibility of advanced digital tools and manufacturing equipment. With technical expertise comes material and structural innovation, and it is essential that architectural research transcend the traditional borders of our discipline to creatively address an increasingly unpredictable environment. With this in mind, a primary course objective is to introduce students to a variety of computational modeling and simulation techniques that heavily leverage architectural geometry in the design-to-construction workflow. The course will take an architectural-engineering approach to guide small design-build projects that demonstrate a close coordination between digital form finding and form conversion/optimization with material and manufacturing constraints.
Students enrolled in this course will have access to the newly acquired Global Vacuum Presses GTP-S-2512 vacuum press located in the SMART Fabrication Factory. This machine enables custom laminations of both sheet and volumetric materials to create custom tailored composites. Student projects may result in prototypes with specific spatial, structural, and aesthetic criteria. Coursework will be digital and manual, rational and experimental, applied and abstract. No previous software experience is required – all technical subject matter will be covered through in-class workshops and software tutorials.
