MaCAD S.3 – Digital Tools for Complex Forming seminar
Senior Faculty: Arthur Mamou-Mani 

“Timber is the new concrete,” said architect Alex de Rijke.
In the course we will be looking at all forms of wood for construction and how to develop parametric, modular and environmental architectural systems. From timber to plywood we will study how to develop systems of struts, nodes and surfaces responding to environmental and structural and programmatic factors. We will learn about lattices, assembly sequences, digital fabrication as well as extracting information from a complex parametric model to create unique and adaptable projects, maximizing inexpensive materials into realistic and exciting architectural projects. We will look at bottom-up design, and how to grow modular systems through creating and learning from matrices of parametric variations. We will study the history of algorithmic and parametric design, how it enables the collaborative development of holistic systems and reproduces natural processes for environmental design. More importantly, we will learn how to let our emotions guide us through this mathematical process.

Learning Objectives
At course completion the student will:
? Learn the fundamentals of Grasshopper and Parametric Design.
? Learn some advanced tools and algorithms such as Genetic Algorithms.
? Learn Computational concepts such as recursion and data structures.
? Learn how to design using a bottom-up approach and modular lattices
? Learn how to do create environmental and structural simulations loops
? Learn about different types of wood and fasteners
? Learn how to link a parametric model to digital fabrication techniques.
? Learn how to let our emotions guide us through this mathematical process.