Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years, which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Basic knowledge of digital fabrication in the context of architecture. Students will learn how to use various fabrication machines, with specific emphasis on 3D printers and six-axis robots, and how to prepare their designs for fabrication on these machines. During the course the students will work with Python programming language with integration in Rhinoceros CAD environment to develop their projects.
Credits: 3
Schedule: 07.06.2021 - 18.06.2021
Teacher in charge (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022): Luka Piskorec
Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Toni Kotnik, Luka Piskorec
Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):
CEFR level (applies in this implementation):
Language of instruction and studies (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022):
Teaching language: English
Languages of study attainment: English
CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD
Content
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
The course is an introduction into basics of digital fabrication in the context of architecture. Building up on the ideas of the course ARK-E2513 Algorithmic Design, it explores ways designs can be physically articulated through means of digital production. The course postulates and tests the thesis that architectural design was always conditioned by the available means of architectural production. As those means changed with the technology they were reflected in the way designs evolve, making these two areas, design and production, inseparable. Today, computer numerical control and robotics not only pervade industrial production, but also start influencing the production of architecture.
This course will provide the students with a holistic perspective into the contemporary production context, point out challenges for architects and builders in the years ahead, as well as provide specific skills for them to use in architectural practice. The course will cover an introduction into basic digital fabrication methods, with specific emphasis on 3D printing and robotic fabrication, and is taught as an intense two-week long workshop at the beginning of the summer teaching period. To demonstrate the skills gained in the course, the students will develop, submit and present a project at the end.
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Students will be evaluated based on the project submitted at the end of the course. The submitted project needs to follow the guidelines which will be clearly communicated in the task description together with reference examples at the beginning of the course. Evaluation criteria fall into three groups:
- Formal
- student has at least 60 % attendance rate for contact hours
- submitted project is within assigned topic and scope
- project is submitted on time for evaluation and in correct format
- Skill
- submitted project demonstrates student’s ability to engage and work in an independent fashion in the computational design workflow shown in the class
- submitted project demonstrates that the student invested the designated amount of independent study hours to master the software, equipment and methods used in the computational design workflow shown in the class
- Integration
- submitted project demonstrates student’s ability to express and facilitate design ideas in a clear and uncompromised fashion using the computational design workflow shown in the class
Submission of the project is in digital form. The evaluation is carried out by the teaching staff and invited experts. Presentation of the submitted project is public and mandatory for the successful completion of the course. This increases the transparency of the evaluation process and visibility of the student work in the context of the school and enables the students to self-evaluate their progress as compared to their peers.
Workload
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
The course takes place in first two weeks of the summer teaching period. It is structured as a full-time workshop totaling 80 work hours divided in 10 days. Lectures and computer exercises take place Mondays to Fridays from 09:15 to 17:00. This workload is designed to suffice for developing and submitting a project at the end of the course.
DETAILS
Study Material
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Aside from the hands-on tutorials in the computer lab and lectures during contact hours, the students will be provided with the online video tutorials covering the same topics as in the class. These can be used by the students during their self-study hours and are meant to repeat as well as expand on the topics shown in class. Practical information in condensed form will be included in the course hand-outs prepared specifically for the class. All learning materials will be provided to students in digital form. The moto of the course is “Learning by doing” and the students will be required to practice their skills directly on their project submitted at the end of the course.
Prerequisites
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Working knowledge of Rhinoceros (ARK-A2504 Software Basics 2 or equivalent). Familiarity with Grasshopper (ARK-E2512 Parametric Design or equivalent) or any programming language is of advantage but not mandatory (ARK-E2513 Algorithmic Design or equivalent).
SDG: Sustainable Development Goals
9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
12 Responsible Production and Consumption
- Teacher: Kotnik Toni
- Teacher: Piskorec Luka