MaCAD Studio – Environmental and Structural Design
Senior Faculty – Rodrigo Aguirre

With the growth of urban areas, cities are becoming focal points for human life, however they still lag behind in sustainability. When designing our built environment, it is therefore important to consider the consequences of human settlements on the health of ecosystems. With the integration of computational technologies into architecture, designers are not only capable of simulating the impact of external forces in the digital environment, but also create design workflows to have constant analysis feedback of the building performance, allowing to optimize the ecological footprint of architectural interventions.
From the physical spaces of our built environment to the networked spaces of digital culture, algorithmic and computational strategies are reshaping not only design strategies but the entire perception of Architecture and its boundaries. With this said, this research studio will focus on emergent design strategies based on algorithmic design logics applied in the building environment.
To allow a greater understanding of building performance, students will be directed to analyze critically novel existing projects. Through these case studies, students will be able to gather information which will guide them to generate advanced design strategies focusing on environmental and structural optimization.
Through constant discussion and feedback students will find new ways to extract and use data as the main design driver to develop an architectural project in the urban context. With the help of real time analysis students will be able to interact closer to the digital model, allowing them to understand better the behavior of the building as the design evolves. The final outcome will be the design of a building structure and facade system that can respond to efficiency and sustainability.
The projects will have synergy with the rest of the digital tools seminars, allowing the students to apply the knowledge received into a practical and speculative design proposal. This investigation will propose a unique typology and technological mediation that can have a profound impact not only on local surroundings but can be applied on any context with similar issues.

Learning Objectives
At course completion the student will:
? Create relationships of architecture and design to allied disciplines.
? Apply architecture and design within an emerging global context.
? Understand fundamental concepts of computational design.
? Create digital tools applied to complex geometries and implement topological relations as a form finding tool.
? link between design form and functionality through investigative processes.
? Be able to conduct investigations and present their findings coherently in verbal and graphic formats.