Computational Design: NEXT 13, a 2-day online interactive conference with worldwide frontiers, took place on Saturday and Sunday, April 15 – 16, 2023, and presented new emerging technologies in art, architecture, design, and manufacturing. The CD NEXT 13 attracted many people worldwide and was organized by ParametricArchitecture (PA) and DesignMorphine (DM).
On the first day of the CD NEXT 13 conference, artist and industrial designer Ross Lovegrove gave an excellent opening presentation. During the webinar, he demonstrated several of his outstanding projects and discussed the design and manufacturing processes. Finally, Ross demonstrated some of his studio’s AI-generated projects. Ross highlighted his extraordinary projects and provided insights into the design and manufacturing processes.
In an engaging workshop, Kedar Benjamin, a talented computational designer, demonstrated the workflow of Houdini, Blender, and Stable Diffusion. Kedar showed us how he completed his projects. As he walked attendees through the steps of creating projects in Houdini, Blender, and Stable Diffusion, attendees gained valuable insights into Kedar’s techniques and methods.
Artist and multidisciplinary designer Philipp Aduatz gave an informative and engaging lecture. Philipp displayed his incredible 3D-printed works with concrete and explained the manufacturing process and the challenges he faced with his team. Philipp’s presentation gave attendees a better understanding of his artistic approach and his thoughts on the future of AI in design.
Joanie Lemercier, a visual artist and environmental activist, wowed the audience with his outstanding visual work. Joanie investigates human perception by manipulating light in space, resulting in immersive and mesmerizing experiences. He described the various processes and software he uses to create these stunning pieces and the valuable insights and tricks he employs during the design process. He shared with the audience the design tricks he paid attention to.
Nadia Kutyreva had an excellent webinar session, beginning with a presentation about her work and progressing to a Houdini tutorial for beginners. Nadia is a multidisciplinary artist and computational designer who is passionate about science, futurism, and deep space exploration. She meticulously walked the audience through each step of the model-building process, including noise, pyro simulation, particles, and geometry building with loops. Through Nadia’s expert guidance, attendees gained practical knowledge and insights into computational design.
Evan Greenberg, Mode Lab’s head of emerging technologies and a partner, delivered an engaging and informative lecture. Evan is fascinated by the impact of emerging technologies on the design process and product development. He introduced Mode Lab, a group of sustainable design thinkers, and showcased some of the organization’s outstanding projects. Evan’s lecture left an indelible impression on the audience, emphasizing the power of computational design in shaping the future.
An architect and computational designer, Benedikt Boschert kicked off the second day with a fantastic tutorial demonstrating a workflow involving Grasshopper3D and Blender. Benedikt specializes in complex geometries and digital techniques in architecture and design. Attendees were enthralled as they learned how to use these powerful tools in architectural and computational design. Benedikt’s tutorial allowed attendees to explore new possibilities in their design projects.
The second day of CD NEXT 13 started with, Siyun Huang, an interdisciplinary fashion designer, artist, and visiting lecturer currently working on kinematic fashion design. Siyun’s work focuses on the future of fashion, incorporating wearable technology and long-term digitalization. She artfully linked her designs to cultural influences, allowing us to understand her creative process better. Attendees were captivated by Siyun’s performance.
Barbara Barreda, an architect and co-founder of Base Studio, presented impressive projects and research on developing low-cost structure systems inspired by local architecture and materials. Barbara’s work emphasizes the potential for sustainable design practices and investigates unconventional building materials and processes. Her presentation gave attendees helpful information about the intersection of architecture, sustainability, and computational design.
The founders of Nyxo Design Studio, Mirko and Michele Daneluzzo, demonstrated how digital computational and fabrication tools can be used to create simulation apparatuses and offer new aesthetic languages. Their research focuses on additive manufacturing, bio-integration, and prosthetic artifacts. Mirko and Michele shared their innovative approach and displayed creative works from their studio, inspiring attendees to push design boundaries.
Brian Wu, a renowned architectural and computational designer, shared his knowledge of coding in architecture. Brian demonstrated the Processing tool’s flexibility and taught attendees how to code and create complex images by exploring the tool. He went over important things to think about when using Processing and gave insights into the rationale behind the design process. Brian’s presentation provided attendees with practical knowledge as well as inspiration.
Joshua Vermillion, an architect and Associate Professor at UNLV’s School of Architecture, presented peer-reviewed research and design work, demonstrating his expertise and contributions to computational design. Joshua’s work includes computational, parametric, and algorithmic design and digital fabrication, focusing on exploring digital craft and responsive systems. His presentation gave attendees valuable insight into cutting-edge design technologies and processes.
Hamid Hassanzadeh, Founder and Creative Director of PA, and Michael Pryor, Design Director of DesignMorphine, launched the Computational Design: NEXT 14. The registration period has begun! Click here to register and see the complete Computational Design: NEXT 13 conference recordings.
