Computational Design: NEXT 7.0, the two-day online conference with pioneering architects and designers from diverse disciplines, was held on the 11 and 12th of December 2021. The conference provided demonstrations on the latest issues regarding parametric and computational design. Various speakers and lecturers were invited to share their thoughts or current projects with a progressive approach to architectural matters from computational viewpoints. Thanks to the collaboration of ParametricArchitecture (PA) with DesignMorphine, the CD Next 7.0 paved the way for students and young architects to further their knowledge in these recently connected issues. You can register and watch the recordings of the entire conference by clicking here.
Recap:
Learn more about parametric and computational design from pioneers at the CD NEXT conference series:
Day 1
The webinar started with Jan Knippers, who addressed the need to fight climate change in the building sector. He focused on the issues of increasing activities in the building sector and the need to exploit the full potential of digitization and its integration with construction to overcome the enormous amount of greenhouse gases originating from buildings. He displayed some of their projects as physical manifestations of their focus on research and development computationally.
Aaron Porterfield, an industrial designer, focused on computational design and digital fabrication, carried on the webinar. First, he exhibited a range of general practices mainly focused on curve bending, lattice hinges, and his 3dprinted products, leading him further to constructing his giant installation in Burning Man. Later, his Grasshopper 3D plugin, Crystallon was indicated as an open-source tool kit for creating lattice structures.
Then, Stephanie Chaltiel showcased some of their latest projects in MuDD architects. She began by presenting their early prototypes for housing in which they have benefited from the extraordinary potential of local craftsmanship. Ensued by their recent proposal called Drone Spray Architecture to transform the neglected facades with no need of scaffolding or any heavy machinery on-site. She highlighted the great possibilities this approach has opened to create vertical gardens and bring nature into cities.
Engaging presentations followed by Zixiong Wei, founder of the SCRY. He conducted a thorough clarification of the “Digital Embryo” framework that studies the intersection of digital design, material science, and future needs with the aim of exploring new models of design and manufacturing. He mentioned their approach in reconsidering a new type of shoe structure using Voronoi lattice structures to boost shoe functionality and aesthetics.
Value Exe, an oil painter studying fine arts in Germany, first demonstrated his recent CG projects and explorations with 3d printing. He delves into the Houdini software to involve the attendees in generating forms.
Finally, the founders of Neon, a design practice based in the UK, addressed their large practices worldwide. They investigate the territory between architecture, art, and design to include a diverse range of bold, eye-catching, and often interactive projects on small and large scales covering shoe collections, pavilions, kinetic artworks, and massive fabric installations. What matters the most is the story and the process behind each of these projects that vary based on the concept.
Day 2
While the first-day presentations of Computational Design: NEXT 7.0 kept everyone alive and active throughout the conference, the participants were drawn to the progressive approach in day two presentations immediately after Roland Snooks started illustrating his practice in design and research regarding behavioral formation. He operates on different platforms such as the Tectonic Formation lab, an RMIT-based research group looking at algorithmic design, in particular work with machine learning and multi-agent systems and robotics. Or Kokkugia is a research collaborative that pushes the boundaries of computational design or the Studio Roland Snooks, a much more conventional practice. He focused on the idea that architecture needs to negotiate many concerns simultaneously, not dealing with one problem only.
Daniela Atencio, an architect and an academician in Venezuela, covered the “material superposition” projects’ generation based on additive geometries starting from scratch in Grasshopper 3d.
Subsequently, Vishu Bhooshan disclosed the wide range of projects in ZHA CODE, where he has a role in research, computational design, and dissemination. The scale of the projects involves a wide range of product design, research projects, toolkit developments, particular interest or commercial projects.
Giuseppe Fallacara, the founder of the New Fundamentals RG, continued with an intriguing presentation, highlighting his progressive approach to the journey into the world of stereotomy and lithic design. He addressed stereotomy as the art of the paradox between the lightness of the shape and the heaviness of the material; the art of cutting stone blocks to create vaulted spaces.
The webinar was followed by an engaging Grasshopper 3D tutorial by Michael Pryor, the Design Director at DesignMorphine and Author of Pufferfish Grasshopper3d Plug-in. The workshop covered different Grasshopper techniques to control the sharpness of meshes and led to an interactive Q&A session.
Julia Koerner, the founder and the director of JK design, revealed her progressive approach through the intersection of architectural installations, product design, and fashion design. She gave insight to the prototypes produced in their lab, which are inspired by natural formations and morphologies, and she highlighted the fundamental role of understanding mathematical logics influencing the whole design,
An endnote follows Hamid Hassanzadeh, founder of PA, introducing the fantastic studio workshops at the PAACADEMY. Powered by PA, the PAACADEMY is an educational platform that focuses on delivering the best short-version education tutored by industry pioneers. The studio workshops are focused on teaching the latest technological advancements such as computational design, 3d printing, robotic fabrication, procedural methods, space architecture, metaverse design, design in VR, AR, and many more topics. You can register for the live workshops or watch the recordings from previous workshops. Visit hamidhassanzadeh.com/workshops for more information.
Computational Design: NEXT 7.0, which includes a remarkable lineup of speakers and pioneers worldwide, served as a guideline for participants to look at issues from a progressive approach. The conference’s core theme was to open up possibilities of a collaboration that we can meet, talk to, and interact with innovators from all over the world while experiencing the intriguing journey of computational design. You can register and watch the recordings of the entire conference by clicking here.
