Course Overview
Course Description
This studio is all about exploring architectural shapes. Think of it like a design journey: you'll start with a simple geometric concept and, through a series of creative experiments, evolve it into a complex and unique architectural design. We'll use a hands-on approach to discover the 'rules' of your chosen shape, then use those rules to build amazing things digitally. Our main guide will be the textbook Architectural Geometry by Pottmann et al.
Course Objective
By the end of this semester, you'll have a complete portfolio for a unique design. The goal is to show a clear design journey, from a basic idea to a final, fully-realized project. You will learn to:
- Explore geometric ideas with hands-on physical models.
- Translate your physical discoveries into precise digital models using Rhino 8 and Maya.
- Evolve a simple digital form into a complex architectural structure using specific design operations.
- Present your work with high-quality renderings and clear diagrams.
Your Project: A Four-Step Guide
The semester is built around a single, evolving project divided into four distinct phases, from initial concept to final visualization.
Aug 27
First Day
Oct 22
Midterms
Dec 3
Finals
Dec 10
Last Day
1. Experiments
Conduct hands-on form-finding experiments to physically explore geometric principles. The class will be divided into three groups for an initial workshop before beginning individual projects.
View Group Tasks & Materials
Group A (4 Students): The Developable Surface
Task: Folding, creasing, and ribboning.
Materials: Cardboard, scoring tools, cutting mats, metal rulers.
Group B (3 Students): The Tensile Surface
Task: Soap film studies.
Materials: Piano wire, other wire (various gauges), pliers, soap solution (dish soap + glycerine), container for dipping.
Group C (3 Students): The Solid Volume
Task: Carving, casting, or modeling with clay.
Materials: Plaster of Paris blocks, modeling clay, carving tools (rasps, files, sandpaper).
2. Concept & Taxonomy
Research the historical and architectural significance of your assigned concept. Explain its underlying geometric principles and present a "taxonomy" of its properties and precedents.
View Student Concepts
- Minimal Surfaces (e.g., Frei Otto's Munich Olympic Stadium)
- Developable Surfaces (e.g., Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall)
- Platonic Solids & Geodesic Spheres (e.g., Buckminster Fuller's Biosphere at Expo 67)
- Translational Surfaces & Vaults (e.g., Eero Saarinen's TWA Flight Center)
- Ruled Surfaces & HP Surfaces (e.g., Félix Candela's Los Manantiales Restaurant)
- Freeform Curves & NURBS (e.g., Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center)
- Freeform & Subdivision Surfaces (e.g., Peter Cook's Kunsthaus Graz)
- Pipe Surfaces & Knots (e.g., Piano & Rogers' Centre Pompidou)
- Space-Filling Polyhedra (e.g., Jean Renaudie's Ivry-sur-Seine housing complex)
- Surfaces of Constant Mean Curvature (CMC) (e.g., Grimshaw's Eden Project)
3. 3D Modeling
Create detailed 3D models in **Rhino 8** and **Autodesk Maya**, translating physical discoveries into a precise digital system. Evolve the model by applying an assigned **Exploration Type**.
View Exploration Types
- Apply Striation & Pattern
- Deconstruct into a Skeleton
- Introduce Layering & Stratification
- Carve Sub-Volumes
- Aggregate as Clustered Parts
- Define the Boundary Condition
- Develop Spliced or Interlocked Joints
- Incorporate Pleating
- Differentiate the Intensity
- Create a Nested Loop
4. Visualization & Presentation
Document your entire design process and present high-quality visualizations. This includes rendered images from tools like **D5, Twinmotion, Rhino Render, or Midjourney**, diagrams illustrating geometric properties, and a discussion of architectural implications.
Detailed Weekly Schedule
Week 1 (Aug 27): First Day of Classes. Introduction to "Hacking Geometry". Students are assigned their individual semester-long Concepts and initial group tasks.
Week 2 (Sep 3): Physical Experiments Workshop. A hands-on session for groups to begin physical form-finding experiments related to the core techniques.
Week 3 (Sep 10): Concept & Taxonomy. Students present initial research on their concept's history and geometric principles.
Week 4 (Sep 17): Digital Translation & Good Topology. A workshop on translating physical forms to digital, with a key session on what makes a "good" and "clean" mesh topology for modeling.
Week 5 (Sep 24): Digital Modeling Desk Crits. Review of initial digital models and the translation of rules from physical experiments.
Week 6 (Oct 1): Parametric Systems Workshop. Introduction to parametric design to encode the discovered rules for systematic evolution.
Week 7 (Oct 8): Parametric Development. In-class studio session to develop parametric "design rules" with instructor support.
Week 8 (Oct 15): Midterm Presentation Dry Run. Review of the complete journey from concept and physical experiments to the current digital system.
Week 9 (Oct 22): MIDTERM PRESENTATIONS. Students present their full process: Concept, Experiments, and the resulting digital 3D Models.
Week 10 (Oct 29): Advanced Operations Lecture. Students are assigned their final "Exploration Type" to apply to their digital system.
Week 11 (Nov 5): Digital Evolution Desk Crits. Desk crits focused on the spatial and architectural qualities of the newly evolved digital forms.
Week 12 (Nov 12): Visualization Workshop. Introduction to advanced rendering techniques in **D5, Twinmotion, Rhino Render, and Midjourney**.
Week 13 (Nov 19): Final Production Workshop. In-class workshop on producing the final drawing set and presentation materials.
Week 14 (Nov 26): Final Presentation Dry Run. A final review of all project components, with individual critiques to refine the narrative and visual quality.
Week 15 (Dec 3): FINAL PRESENTATIONS. Students will present their fully evolved final designs, from concept to visualization.
Week 16 (Dec 10): LAST DAY OF CLASSES. Course wrap-up and final submission of all project deliverables.