AD2 - Architecture et Design (module 2)

AD_2 (Architecture & Digital Design Module 2) is a research and process oriented, cross-disciplinary teaching unit operating at the intersection of architecture, art, design, and digital technologies.
The unit functions as an immersive workshop within the LAD| Digital Architectures Laboratory of the faculty. The unit questions the role of new technologies, emerging practices, digital fabrication, and digital culture in the architectural design and production process. It is concerned with the growing convergence of architecture and, more broadly, the creative fields, engineering, digital fabrication, and emerging technologies.

AD_2 focuses on design and fabrication issues through digital technologies, and studies the correlations between material, form, and structure by implementing digital methodologies for design, analysis, and fabrication, coupled with physical experimentation and prototype production.
Each program cycle creates new and custom architectural processes through the cross-pollination of traditional and contemporary design and fabrication techniques.
The program concludes with the production of a research publication on the chosen topic and the design of a project integrating formal research, simulation of material and structural behaviour, and the fabrication of a 1:1 scale prototype using digital means.

The course program is structured into two parts:

• PART 1: Students receive an introduction to the main concepts of digital design and fabrication. A series of basic and advanced courses on parametric modelling and the use of digital fabrication tools are provided to students to enable them to conduct their research during the semester. The teaching unit operates on the principles of reciprocity and collaborative work and promotes learning by doing and experimentation.
• PART 2: Students submit a topic that they will develop, in the form of a research publication and an architectural project to be produced by means of digital design and fabrication acquired in Part 1. Particular attention will be paid to the theoretical framework, the developed methodology, architectural drawings and means of expression in general, and the production of full-scale prototypes.

The questions posed to students involve the implementation of a collaborative and multidisciplinary pedagogy and work, through a topic to explore in depth, and a project to be digitally designed and fabricated.

• Immersion and familiarization of students with a digital architectural production environment.
• Notions of authorship and intellectual property, develop agile working methods, based on collective intelligence, self-organization and collaboration.
• Bring students' attention on the multidisciplinary nature of architectural practice.
• Materialize built forms using rapid creative processes and exchange the potential for innovation and the extraordinary character of this way of producing in the design process.
• Learn to master the resources necessary to manage a project in a digital environment.
• Learn to theorize a subject and develop a methodology based on research through making / production.
• Learn to define an ethical and economic model of the project.
•  Learn to master the processes of documenting, editing and publishing a research book and a project portfolio.
• Learn to stage and curate a design/ artistic production

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

This unit offers students the opportunity to delve deeply into a topic of their choice (from the list below) over the 20-week course schedule. The goal is to explore a research subject and develop an architectural project. The studio will focus on a series of individually selected research topics, projects, and case studies that will serve as the basis for the students' work. These will be presented in detail during the first workshop sessions. Students will benefit from an introduction to the Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper design environment, as well as a series of courses on parametric 3D modelling.

Students will:

• Explore research topics related to emerging technologies.
• Research, synthesize, and present the topics covered.
• Develop a critical attitude towards the subjects covered and the concepts presented.
• Produce a digital architectural project to be designed, detailed, and contextualized.
• Simulate prototyping and 1:1 fabrication of part or all of the project.
• Document, draw, write, and publish their work.
• Present their work.

Research topics are open but must be submitted and approved beforehand. They must also involve digital architecture and include digital design and production processes.

Contribution to the teaching profile

Topics:

The topics will focus on the following themes:

• Architecture, Design & Engineering
• Rapid prototyping and digital fabrication
• Materials research & recycling
• Electronics and robotics
• Computing, Coding & Software development (Coding, BIM, CAD, CAE, CAM)
• Artificial Intelligence
• Biomimetics
• Permaculture
• Smart and Nano technologies
• IoT
• Virtual reality/ Augmented reality & Mixed reality
• Video games and gamification

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

 A detailed bibliography and list of recommended readings will be distributed at the beginning of the semester.

Course notes

• Université virtuelle

Additional information

External jury members and guest critics:

• Julia Barnoin, Architect, Cornell AAP.
• Nestor Beguin, Architect, IAAC
• Chiraz Ben Dakhlia, DEA Lab. Architecture & Research.
• Sylvain Busine, ENSAV La Cambre.
• Edouard Cabay, IAAC, Appareil Architects.
• Jean-Louis De Coster, LGDC, Haute Ecole Albert Jacquard.
• Naiara Abrahao Firmo, Architect & Museography Technician, Commune d’Etterbeek.
• Sophie Hawotte, FabLab, La Cambre.
• Sebastiaan Leenknegt, Metriek Architecture & Engineering.

Contacts

David Erkan
David.Erkan@ulb.be

Campus

Flagey

Method(s) of evaluation

• Practice work
• Personal work
• Project
• Portfolio
• Oral presentation

Practice work

Personal work

Project

Portfolio

Oral presentation

• Individual work
• Project
• Portfolio
• Oral presentation
• Other

• Ability to address the prompt provided for the course.
• Relevance and quality of research, methodology, and proposed solutions.
• Critical thinking and willingness to take risks.
• Depth of exploration and originality in addressing the topic.
• Ability to synthesize information and provide a comprehensive response, including:
  • Writing a scholarly article on the chosen subject.
  • Creating full-scale prototypes using digital tools.
  • Documenting and publishing the design process.
  • Producing a final publication summarizing the entire project.
• Proficiency in using digital tools and software.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

• Ability to bring a clear architectural response to the quadrimester exercise.
• Relevance of the subject, state of the art, and quality of the principles developed, implications, and project outcome.
• Ability to develop a critical attitude towards the subject treated; risk-taking.
• Ability to fully explore a subject, to understand it, to transcend it and to reclaim it for one’s own objectives.
• Ability to develop a project approach and a work methodology.
• Ability to produce a complete response to the chosen subject.
• Ability to produce a research paper about the chosen subject (2500 words min.).
• Ability to use digital tools (CAD, parametric and algorithmic 3D modelling, etc…) for architecture production purposes, drawings, details, prototypes, simulation…
• Ability to document and publish the design process.
• Ability to produce a quality publication about one’s work.
• Ability to make good use of digital tools design purposes (software, machines, electronics...).
• Quality of the writings, research paper, and project narrative (form, content, methodology, referencing).
• Quality of written work, including research papers and narratives.
• Quality of design drawings, details, and renderings.
• Quality of prototypes in terms of functionality, aesthetics, and realism.
• Effectiveness of visual and oral presentations.
• Ability to articulate and present the design process.

Language(s) of evaluation

• english
• french