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Digital Tectonics

Digital technologies are transforming the way we design and construct buildings, moving beyond their use as a mere tool to a way of materializing ideas and dealing with multifaceted design problems. In studio 1 we ask: How can digital design enable developing sustainable and adaptive built environments for everyone? In the current context of climate emergency, architects must play a critical role in designing infrastructure that is resilient, adaptable and sustainable. Digital technologies can help architects address such a challenge, engaging with complexity in the building environment and articulating issues of environmental sustainability and building performance. The ambition is to explore digital design and computational thinking in their potential for transformative and sustainable architecture. We will examine how new technologies, including AI and generative design, help address today’s complex design challenges.

Context of Investigation 
The north of Sweden is a strategical location that is subject to infrastructural and climatic changes.  This studio will work in the context of Skellefteå, a city subjected to unprecedented growth, which has derived in significant pressure applied into the urban fabric to meet the demans of its population.  
 
Throughout two main design projects in the fall and spring, we will focus on creating built environments that address societal needs, all while considering the current climate crisis. The scale of our intervention will span from the building scale to the constructive detail, using digital tools to articulate performance, aesthetics, and functional requirements. 
 
Studio Agenda and Methodology  
The studio will emphasize the use of digital tools in architectural practice, while incorporating analogue computational methods such as rule-based design. We will use digital design as both an analytic tool (to understand and read the site) and as a generative tool (to create and articulate new designs).  
 
The studio will adopt a project-based approach, diving into the design process from the very beginning through the creative and effective use of digital tools. We will translate ideas into architectural form, centering our practice in the thoughtful, situated, and sustainable design of the built environment.  
 
Teaching team: Elena Vazquez (studio coordinator), Julia Samberg, Mikael Parkman.  

Latest update: 2024-09-02