Material Systems I / Reciprocities

Summer Semester 2009 | ICD Design Studio
Diploma 3901-04

Prof. A. Menges, M. Fleischmann, C. Robeller


The ever-accelerating integration of computer-based applications and computer-controlled manufacturing techniques in architecture opens up new possibilities for architects to research the reciprocities of material, structure, space and environment in order to develop them architecturally. The aim of this project is the exploration of integral design strategies that enable a shift of the role of the computer from a representational machine for the production of static plans and models to a generative tool, through which a prototypical project will be developed and incrementally refined.

The first part of the design studio will focus on the introduction of the material systems as a design concept followed by a two-day field trip to the leading manufacturer's with computer-based manufacturing techniques in the building market. The resulting design strategies will be further developed on the interface of computational design and physical modelling techniques within the framework of the accompanying seminar "Algorithmic Geometry Generation" into a desired architectonical realization. External specialists will be invited to attend discussions with the designing students on a regular basis, to help anchoring the research in practice as well as the relevant theoretical discourse.

Moritz Fleischmann and Christopher Robeller would like to thank Andrea Lautenschlager, Mirco Becker, Christian Bergmann, Johan Bettum, George Jeronimidis, Axel Kilian, Stefan Neuhäuser, Peter Trummer, Christoph Schindler and Mike Weinstock, as well as the companies Holzbau Amann, Finnforest Merk and Schorn & Groh in the name of the studio.

Material Systems I / Project 1
Material Systems I / Project 2
Material Systems I / Project 3
Material Systems I / Project 4

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