Workshops
SimAUD 2020 workshops will take place on Monday, May 25. Please refer to the program for respective times and ZOOM meeting rooms where the workshops take place. The workshops can be attended both by registered conference attendees and everyone else interested.
SimAUD 2020 Workshops:
☛ Urbano: A Tool to Promote Mobility Aware Urban Design
☛ Geographic Information Systems for Generative Design
☛ Soft Architecture: Pneumatic Control Strategy - design with air pressure
☛ Topologic: New perspectives for conceptual design and spatial reasoning
☛ SiDMACIB: Structurally informed Design of Masonry Assemblages Composed of Interlocking Blocks
Urbano: A Tool to Promote Mobility Aware Urban Design
Timur Dogan, Yang Yang
Cornell University; Ithaca, NY
no specific limitation regarding the maximum or the minimum number of possible participants
Abstract:
This workshop is intended for both researchers and practitioners interested in methods for integrating active mobility simulation and amenity analysis into the urban design decision-making process. The workshop will cover automated urban modeling, data synthesis and mobility simulation and analysis for the use in different design phases including site analysis, scheme derivation, design generation, and evaluation. Participants will learn how to analyze street networks and program allocations in terms of mobility performance, how to measure walkability and how to optimize design solutions based on related metrics and different design goals. The workflows will be demonstrated by developing and evaluating different design scenarios in an existing urban environment. As a result, participants will be able to implement mobility aware urban design assisted by performance simulation feedback, which allows the awareness of and the responsiveness to the mobility implication of their design choices.
For this purpose, we will use Grasshopper for Rhino3d with the plugin Urbano.io, a new mobility modeling and simulation tool. It is a collection of modeling and simulation components for computational urban design and planning. The tool is free software released by the Environmental Systems Lab, Cornell University.
It is expected that participants will understand the simulation mechanism of Urbano.io and implement it for evaluating and generating optimized design solutions. The workflows will be demonstrated by developing and testing different design scenarios in an existing urban environment. Key components of the workflows include:
(1) Automated model setup with customized data entries.
(2) Tuning simulation parameters for specific design goals.
(3) Leveraging the provided metrics to analyze amenity and mobility performance.
(4) Creative ways to use the tool for generative purposes.
Requirements:
It is recommended that participants be familiar with Grasshopper workflow and have basic experiences in processing shapefile or CSV data in Grasshopper. However, this is not required.
Participants are required to have a Windows laptop with Rhino 6 and Urbano installed. Urbano can be downloaded from the Food4Rhino or urbano.io website.
Bios:
Timur Dogan is an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture and the director of the Environmental Systems Lab Opens a Cornell link, a faculty fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, and a field member of the Department of Architecture, Department of City and Regional Planning, the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as the Systems Engineering program. Dogan holds a Ph.D. from MIT, a master's in design studies from Harvard GSD, and a Dipl. Ing. in architecture with distinction from the Technical University Darmstadt, where he was a fellow of the German National Academic Foundation. His research expertise is in daylighting, energy modeling, passive climate control strategies, and performance-driven design workflows in both urban and architectural scale. His work empowers architects and urban designers to optimize their design proposals regarding their energy demand and supply, comfort, and livability. To date, he has authored and coauthored several widely used software tools, journal papers, and peer-reviewed scientific articles.
Yang is a Ph.D. student in Systems Engineering at Cornell University. She is also a design researcher at the Environmental Systems Lab (ES Lab) of the College of Arts, Architecture and Planning (AAP) at Cornell University. Yang has a great interest in urban simulation, generative design and machine learning, and her primary research focus is on the interdisciplinary data-driven urban design decision-making. She holds a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Cornell University, a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor in Engineering from Tongji University.
Geographic Information Systems for Generative Design
Paula Echeverri Montes, Felipe Gutiérrez Duque
echeverrimontes arquitectos; Bogotá, Colombia | University of London; London, UK
no specific limitation regarding the maximum or the minimum number of possible participants
Abstract:
Since the advent of computers, data is available for anyone to gather and create, from smartphones’ sensors to satellites, all the world’s information is being and becoming digitized. When data is available practically anywhere, the problem becomes how to manage data from different sources so that the intrinsics of what the data represent become evident and manageable. Being able to operate in an environment that allows different disciplines to collaborate through gathering, processing and creation of data such as the Rhinoceros plugin Grasshopper, enables fine-grain control of the design process.
This workshop will explore a workflow that Geographic Information Systems provide for generative design, through our Grasshopper plugin GHopperGIS.
The enhanced collaboration that geo-referencing of data provides, leads to an understanding of the design problem that comes from angles that were not clear or not visible at all before. Coupling this design workflow with other existing Grasshopper plugins in the realm of simulation and modeling, will lead to a design process that is based on real world data (that can be directly picked by the designer/engineers) and that can be directed towards a predicted optimum design. The user will have at the end of the workshop an overview of how to manage data from multiple sources in a geo-referenced model and how to use the model as a starting point for predicting how different design options will behave according to climatic simulations seeded by data of the place in question.
The workshop wants to bridge the gaps between multi-disciplinary teams/information, in which each discipline can be inter-related to the design space through the use of geo-referencing tools. Layers of information can be stacked for a design process in which all the relations between them generate the outcome of each design iteration.
The project that started the production of the plugin we want to present, began during the 2018’s Tomás Saraceno‘s Carte Blanche exhibition at Palais de Tokyo (Link), where in a partnership between Aeroscene and the Thr34d5 collective, data from the NCEP and other sources was taken through a custom developed plugin into Grasshopper for processing as a piece of art that showed the adverse effects of pollution.
Requirements:
The workshop is suited for Grasshopper users that have at least a beginner level knowledge of the software. Programming skills are not required but are always a plus.
Participants must have a laptop with an installed version of Rhino6, Windows operating system is a must.
Bios:
Paula Echeverri Montes (echeverrimontes) is an architect graduated from the University of Los Andes with a master's degree in historic preservation and postgraduate training in business administration (MAMD) and computer design (CDDMBT). She has developed an independent practice in the area of design and project structuring. Currently her practice participates from multidisciplinary teams seeking comprehensive criterion, the success and sustainability of projects through the experience of high quality holistic design.
Arquitecta graduada de la Universidad de Los Andes con maestría en Preservación Histórica y formación de posgrado en Administración de Negocios (MAMD) y Diseño Computacional (CDDMBT). Ha desarrollado una práctica independiente en el área de diseño y estructuración de proyectos. Actualmente hace parte de equipos multidisciplinares que con criterio integral, buscan el éxito y la sustentabilidad de proyectos a través de la experiencia del diseño holístico de alta calidad.
Felipe Gutiérrez has always been passionate about arts. During his childhood and adolescence, he followed the normal paths a traditional artist would have taken, learning to draw by hand, sculpting by hand, etc.. He started a formal education in architecture and eventually got to know tools that enabled artists (including architects) to create their craft through algorithms; it was a coup de foudre; he started to learn how to program and became more and more proficient using existing tools until he finally began creating his own. Little by little he was drawn more and more to what he calls the dark-side of the force (the really technical and geeky stuff) and now-a-days he is too far gone to go back.
Felipe Gutiérrez is a computer science candidate at the University of London; when he is not working on custom tools for his day job at EcheverriMontes (an architectural firm) he is playing with computer graphics and procedural geometry.
Soft Architecture: Pneumatic Control Strategy - design with air pressure
Zherui Wang, Ji Shi
Princeton University
no specific limitation regarding the maximum or the minimum number of possible participants
Abstract:
This workshop will showcase a novel methodology using interactive pneumatic systems as a way to interpret the concept of kinetic architecture. We will focus on the hybrid of digital and physical simulation workflow revolving around a physical prototype, known as Soft Architecture. Workshop participants are encouraged to develop and iterate design concepts, ranging from installations, buildings to urban design, through the interaction with the prototype, both physically and virtually.
Kinetic architecture is typically facilitated by mechanical hardwares with defined states and limited range of motions. Pneumatic mechanisms promise greater degrees of freedom than their mechanical counterparts. “Soft Architecture” explores the possibility of an intelligent pneumatic structure and leverages the system’s full range of motion in engaging with design objectives. We will establish communications between 3D modeling software (Rhinoceros) and the Arduino as a way to iterate design by controlling and observing the physical model. Such communications are made through Processing or Grasshopper with certain libs or plug-ins. Custom designed dual valve solenoid systems with proper tubing and fittings will be prototyped to realize such interaction.
Our aim is to explore design methods that adopt a pneumatic system and build a set of simulated conditions for a pneumatically controlled kinetic structure. Participants are encouraged to bring in their own design problems in addition to example scenarios provided by the workshop to test pneumatic design workflows, such as building skin for daylight control.
Requirements:
The workshop does not require additional prior knowledge or skills. General interests around robotics and automatic control systems are encouraged. Grasshopper or scripting skill would be an advantageous asset.
Participants need to have their own laptop / PC that runs following software:
1) Rhinoceros
2) Grasshopper plug in for Rhino
3) Processing
4) Arduino IDE
* Open Libs / optional plugins TBD. Further detail to release online.
Bios:
Ji Shi is a designer operating on the fringes of architecture, technology and robotics. His work is situated in between buildings, interactive installations, architecture-specific machines and 1:1 architectural robots. Ji is particularly interested in designing through prototyping systems with a combination of coding, sensing and actuation. Ji was raised in Beijing, and he is currently based in Boston.
Ji has 5-year experience working in the realm of digital practice in architecture and 2-year experience working in professional architecture firms in Boston, New York and Beijing. He produces construction documents, design schematics, representations, as well as scripting, coding, fabrication and anything else that helps get a project done. Since 2015, Ji has worked on multiple digital fabrication pavilion projects that apply a diverse range of material including 3D printing plastic, wood, concrete, pneumatic membrane, steel, etc.
Ji Shi received a M.Arch.II from Princeton University (NJ, US) and a B.Arch from Tongji University (Shanghai, China). He is the winner of 2017 Emerging Curators Project of Power Station of Art, Shanghai. His work has been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Beijing, Shanghai, and Seoul and published in CDRF 2019, CAADRIA 2018, Seoul Biennale 2017, UC Berkeley Room1000, Yale Palimpsest, Time+Architecture, Urban Environmental Design, etc
Zherui Wang is a designer and researcher based in Brooklyn, New York. His works focus on the triangulation of architecture, geometry, material and making. He is currently a research specialist at Princeton University, the Andlinger Center for the Energy and Environment.
He has taught design studios and seminars at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and Pratt Institute, and has contributed to the design and research endeavours at various offices and institutions, including Barkow Leibinger Architects, Mode Lab, Pratt Institute Center for Experimental Structures, and Columbia University Center for Urban Real Estate.
Zherui received a Bachelor of Architecture at Pratt Institute School of Architecture, where he was awarded Alpha Rho Chi Medal, Pratt Endowment Fund, and Lee & Norman Rosenfeld Award. He also holds a Post-Professional Master of Architecture from Princeton University where he received the Suzanne Kolarik Underwood Prize.
Topologic: New perspectives for conceptual design and spatial reasoning
Wassim Jabi
Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University
no specific limitation regarding the maximum or the minimum number of possible participants
Abstract:
Topologic is a software development toolkit and plug-in that offers the ability to think spatially, topologically, and conceptually about a design project. It integrates several architecturally relevant concepts that enable logical, hierarchical and topological representation of spaces and entities. The goal of the Topologic toolkit is to support the creation of the lightest, most understandable conceptual models of architectural topology. The formal language of topology is well-matched to the data input requirements for applications such as energy simulation and structural analysis. By integrating semantics, topology, and geometry, Topologic provides an effective platform for spatial reasoning. In addition, the ease with which these lightweight topological models can be modified encourages design exploration and performance simulation at the conceptual design phase. Finally, Topologic has been integrated with Machine Learning and Evolutionary Algorithms for classification and optimisation tasks. This workshop will introduce the related concepts, illustrate the powerful features of the software through example workflows, and offer hands-on experience to experiment with customized workflows.
Requirements:
Familiarity with either Dynamo or Grasshopper.
A modern laptop with Windows 10. Dynamo 2.X and/or Grasshopper 6.X and the Topologic 1.X software
Bios:
Dr. Jabi is a Reader at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University where he leads the digital design area and directs the MSc in Computational Methods in Architecture. He earned his Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Michigan. He has published widely in the areas of parametric design, the representation of space, building performance simulation, and robotic fabrication in architecture. Dr. Jabi's grants include a $200,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) award to study design creativity, an EPSRC £70,000 grant to investigate innovative digital robotic fabrication, and a £300,000 grant from the Leverhulme Trust for a Research Project Grant titled “Enhancing the representation of architectural space in 3D modelling environments.” In this project, the team developed software for the spatial representation of buildings through a concept called nonmanifold topology. Dr. Jabi is author of the book “Parametric Design for Architecture” (Laurence King Publishing, Ltd).
SiDMACIB: Structurally informed Design of Masonry Assemblages Composed of Interlocking Blocks
Elham Mousavian
Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, University of Naples Federico II
no specific limitation regarding the maximum or the minimum number of possible participants
Abstract:
SiDMACIB is a Plug-in to design the structurally feasible masonry assemblages of interlocking blocks with diverse typologies.
Interlocking blocks are units which, on their faces, have locks keeping the blocks together and increas-ing the block sliding resistance without adhesives during or after the construction. Use of dry-stacked interlocking assemblages is not a new concept in architecture. They can be observed in Roman arches, Japanese wooden joineries and flat arches constructed in 17th century. Recently advanced digital fabri-cation technologies enable the manufacture of interlocking assemblages with arbitrary shapes, increas-ing the popularity of interlocking joints to produce objects with complex shapes like industrial bodies, buildings, furniture.
SiDMACIB designs corrugated interlocking interface. These joints have orthotropic sliding re-sistance, i.e., two different sliding behaviours in two orthogonal directions.
Modelling a single layer shell with arbitrary shape the plug-in:
- Discretizes the model using stack and running bond pattern and model openings on the shell;
- Models the interlocking interfaces given the number and orientation of locks;
- Evaluates the structural feasibility of the model using the extended limit analysis to ortho-tropic interfaces;
- Quantifies the infeasibility due to the sliding resistance violation;
- Automatically adjusts the shape of the interlocking interfaces to minimize the infeasibility.
Requirements:
Familiarity with Grasshopper.
A laptop preferably with Windows 10. Grasshopper 6 and MATLAB software.
Bios:
Elham Mousavian (Ph.D.) is a Marie Curie post-doc individual fellow at Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture of University of Naples Federico II, coordinating the European project “Structurally informed Design of Masonry Assemblages Composed of Interlocking Blocks (SiD-MACIB)”, supervised with Prof. Claudia Casapulla.
Her research has strived for structurally informed design in digital age, focusing on the computational methods for structurally sound design of masonry systems. She obtained a competitive scholarship from the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT) of Iran to carry out her PhD at IUST on the architectural-structural layout of masonry buildings. During her PhD,she received a grant from MSRT to attend the Institute of Computer Graphics and Algorithms at TU Wien, Austria. There, she contrib-uted to development of a structural layout tool for masonry structures.
Following the completion of her PhD studies, she was awarded a highly competitive Marie Curie Indi-vidual Fellowship grant (MCSA_IF, No. 791235, Grant worth €168.277) to develop the SiDMACIB Grasshopper Plugin.