Course syllabus

Course-PM

ACE510 - Mediated material interfaces, study period 2, HT23 (15 credits)
The course is offered by the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

 

Contact details

Examiner, course responsible, supervisor: Malgorzata Zboinska, malgorzata.zboinska@chalmers.se 
Course co-responsible, co-supervisor: Erica Hörteborn, erica.horteborn@chalmers.se 
A-workshop guidance: Tabita Nilsson, tabita@chalmers.se 
Guest reviewers for final presentation: Ellen Simonsson and Emily-Claire Goksøyr, Liljewall architects

 

Course purpose

This studio explores hybrid interfaces occurring when various material and spatial entities meet to comprise architectural components, interiors and buildings. The hybrid interfaces combine existing and new sustainable materials and building elements. They are expressed in diverse ways, using digital media as key drivers of ideation, creation and materialization. By employing the hybrid material interface as its conceptual driver, the studio also introduces a novel trajectory of architectural thinking and practice of tomorrow. This new trajectory follows the principles of circularity and rational use of resources in the built environment, achieved through respectful mending, care, recycling and reuse of architectural materials, elements and spaces.

With its exploratory approach, the studio exposes students to a unique working method of architectural experimentation, conducted in the spirit of research by design and aimed to generate new architectural knowledge while conceiving a speculative architectural design project having a limited scope and scale. To achieve this, the studio relies on material experiments and fabrication of physical design mock-ups that serve as sources of new architectural knowledge, underpinning and informing an architectural design proposal.

Each year’s studio creatively investigates a given material combination, having sustainable potentials, using a specific digital fabrication technique as a medium driving the explorations. Architectural values and applications of the given materials are discovered and coined in the course of the studio, to contribute to material innovation in architecture. Emphasis is placed on linking architecture with the science of circular building materials. Moreover, the studio accentuates excellence in the creative, artistic use of digital fabrication, which capitalizes on the aesthetic agencies of the interfaced materials and spatial entities. The material for this course edition is nanocellulose – a bio-based, fully natural material which is 3D printable and made only from water and cellulose fibers. The fibers can be reclaimed from waste of sustainable industries such as agriculture, forestry and papermills.

The students will learn about current research relevant for exploring this material and digital fabrication technique of robotic 3D printing through own readings and precedent studies, as well as lectures and lab demos. Ultimately, the studio aims to encourage design novelty through thoughtful embedding of a sustainable material in an existing architectural context, having its own materiality that needs to be addressed with the new material addition. The overarching purpose is to promote more circular architectural design, renovation and construction, capitalizing on cross-disciplinary knowledge synergies between architecture, digital design and manufacturing as well as materials science.

 

Course content

The studio work encompasses explorations of various architectural material combinations, applied as regenerative coatings or add-ons to existing architectural elements, to execute more sustainable renovation interventions. The explorations are carried out using a toolkit comprising digital design and fabrication techniques. The combined materials and components will constitute a design intervention into a given architectural setting, at the scale of a building detail, fragment, or an interior feature. Examples of interventions that students will work are to preserve, regenerate, repair, complement, redesign, repurpose or reuse. The types of interfaced materials and enabling digital techniques are specified in the detailed Studio Brief document for each year, posted in the Modules section on Canvas.

 

Schedule

TimeEdit

Please note that the schedule in TimeEdit provides a general overview of the course's time slots, whereas the specific course activities are outlined in the detailed schedule for the course, available in the Modules section on Canvas. Any late or unexpected changes to the schedule after the course start will be communicated via Canvas messages and announcements.

 

Course literature

The course literature can be found here at Canvas, except for the books which can be purchased at Chalmers Store. You can also find the literature using the digital catalogs of the Chalmers Library and via databases Google Scholar and CumInCAD. 

Mandatory readings

1. Anzalone, P., Del Signore, M., & Wit, A. J. (2018). Notes on imprecision and infidelity. In: Recalibration: On imprecision and infidelity - Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture, pp. 16-17.
2. Dickey, R. (2017). Soft computing in design: Developing automation strategies from material indeterminacies. In: Future Trajectories of Computation in Design - Proceedings of the 17th International Conference CAAD Futures 2017, pp. 419-430.
3. Duro-Royo, J., Mogas-Soldevila, L., & Oxman, N. (2015). Flow-based fabrication: An integrated computational workflow for design and digital additive manufacturing of multifunctional heterogeneously structured objects. Computer-Aided Design, 69, 143-154.
4. Malik, S., Hagopian, J., Mohite, S., Lintong, C., Stoffels, L., Giannakopoulos, S., ... & Parker, B. (2020). Robotic extrusion of algae‐laden hydrogels for large‐scale applications. Global Challenges, 4(1), 1900064.
5. Mogas-Soldevila, L., Matzeu, G., Presti, M. L., & Omenetto, F. G. (2021). Additively manufactured leather-like silk protein materials. Materials & Design, 203, 109631.
6. Molloy, I., & Miller, T. (2018). Digital dexterity: Freeform 3D printing through direct toolpath manipulation for crafted artifacts. In: Recalibration: On imprecision and infidelity - Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture, pp. 266-275.
7. Oxman, N. (2013). Material ecology. In: Robert Oxman and Rivka Oxman (eds.) Theories of the Digital in Architecture. London: Routledge.
8. Rael, R., & San Fratello, V. (2018). Printing architecture: Innovative recipes for 3D printing. Chronicle Books.
9. Rudin, R., Zboinska, M.A., Sämfors, S., & Gatenholm, P. (2022). RePrint: Digital workflow for aesthetic retrofitting of deteriorated architectural elements with new biomaterial finishes. In: Hybrids & Haecceities - Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (article in press).
10. Römert, O., Zboinska, M.A. (2021). Aligning the analog, digital and hyperreal: Software errors as design exploration drivers. In: Toward Critical Computation - Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture, pp. 492-501.

Optional readings

1. Ayala-Garcia, C., & Rognoli, V. (2017). The new aesthetic of DIY-materials. The Design Journal, 20(sup1), S375-S389.
2. Baker-Brown, D. (2019). The re-use atlas: A designer's guide towards the circular economy.
3. DeLanda, M. (2015). The new materiality. Architectural Design, 85(5), 16-21.
4. Franklin, K. A., & Till, C. A. Radical matter: Rethinking materials for a sustainable future. (2018). London: Thames & Hudson.
5. Gramazio, F., Kohler, M., & Willmann, J. (2014). Authoring robotic processes. Architectural Design, 3(84), 14-21.
6. Gramazio, F., Kohler, M., & Willmann, J. (2014). The robotic touch: How robots change architecture: Gramazio & Kohler Research ETH Zurich 2005-2013. Park Books.
7. Norell, D., Rodhe, E., & Hedlund, K. (2021). Completions: Reuse and object representations. In 40th conference of the Association of Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) Online+ Global, USA, 2020-10-24-2020-10-30 (Vol. 1, pp. 446-455). Acadia Publishing Company.

Designers and precedent projects

1. Neri Oxman, Laia Mogas-Soldevila, Jorge Duro-Royo, ”Aquahoja”
2. Jorge Otero-Pailos, ”Ethics of Dust”
3. Eric Goebbers and Matteo Baldasari, “Reconstructing the Notre Dame”
4. Mikaela Steby Stenfalk, “Fleeting Fragments of Notre Dame”, “Water roses in Hälsingegårdarna” and “Sistine Chapel”

 

Course design

The course phases are described in detail in the Studio Brief while the assignments and deliverables are specified in the Assignments document. The studio work will proceed according to the Course Schedule. All three documents can also be found in the Modules section on Canvas. The studio work will proceed in the following intertwined phases:

Phase 1

Foundations. Lectures, seminars and individual studies aimed at analyzing and discussing current research and design precedents relevant for the undertaken design investigations. Digital design and fabrication demos preparing for design explorations of the given material or element and enabling digital techniques.

Phase 2

Research by design. This phase features two interdependent sub-phases. Pin-ups and tutorials will take place in these sub-phases. The sub-phases are:

• • • • Material experimentation. Iterative series of systematic yet open-ended material experiments based on the conduct of digitally mediated design explorations with the given material, done on scaled architectural mock-up models. The material experiments will be compared analytically, compiled and reflected upon as part of the assigned submissions. They will also be displayed collectively at the final presentation seminar.
      • Design proposal development. Continuous design, representation and curation of an architectural proposal informed by the findings from the material experiments.

Phase 3

Design research curation. This phase is aimed to result in two deliverables:

• • • • The design proposal presentation, compiled into a coherent design research poster or poster series, comprising architectural drawings, short text and other means of design research communication and representation.
      • A short design research synopsis, in written form complemented with illustrations, highlighting the main findings of the material experiments, reflections from the design process and general statement of positioning and contribution of the work to design knowledge development and architectural research.

Organization

The learning in the course is organized around diverse activities, aimed to promote your knowledge acquisition and skill development. The activities encompass collective participation, groupwork and individual work. You will participate in lectures, seminars, software and technology demonstrations, carry out lab work, group tasks, individual studies, take part in tutorials and/or pin-ups with the teaching team, and project presentations. When each type of activity takes place during the course is indicated in the course schedule.

The students from our studio will work on floor 5 of the SB1 building, within the desk spaces assigned to the studio. We expect all students to use the studio spaces to construct an active studio culture. Tutorials will be held primarily in the studio space. Some activities, such as lectures, individual tutoring and lab work, model making and material experiments, as well as final presentations will take place in other spaces, all of which are indicated in the schedule and/or will be communicated via Canvas messaging.

Integrated learning

In relation to the first studio of the first year of the master program MPARC within the Architectural Experimentation track, called “Material and technique”, this course offers an advanced-level continuation of the basic to intermediate design and digital tooling skills that offered in the mentioned first-year studio.

Moreover, the “Mediated material interfaces” studio offers the students an opportunity to explore a new material and a new method of working within experimental, research by design setting, relevant for the students’ continued studies and later academic or practice-based career. The architectural experimentation method offered herein can also become a working methodology for the master thesis. As such, however, the course has its own agenda that is not intended as pre-research for the master thesis itself.

Communication and resources

All course communication is to be done using the Canvas platform, including communication with all teachers on various matters related to the course. All submissions need to be done via Canvas uploads. The submission of non-digital materials, such as the material samples, models, prototypes and research posters, is to be done physically based on instructions provided by the teaching team.

The researched architectural biomaterial – nanocellulose, basic lab consumables, lab instruments for the material formulations, as well as the material for CNC milling of replicas of architectural detailing and other elements which will be worked with will be provided within the course budget. As all models will serve as real-life research evidence, they will need to be submitted at the end of the studio so they can be utilized for the reporting of the research findings through academic publications and other types of communication. The printing of course presentation materials and purchases of custom items needed for conducting and presenting the design research work is to be arranged and funded by the students.

 

Changes made since the last occasion

Does not apply for this course round.

 

Learning objectives and syllabus

After completing the course, the student shall be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

1. 1. Discuss examples of experimental architectural design projects and research involving novel sustainable and biobased materials and new digital design and manufacturing techniques.
   2. Explain how thoughtful mediation of material interfaces can contribute to more circular and resource-efficient design of architectural interventions into existing material and spatial settings.

Skills and abilities

1. 1. Demonstrate the ability to design mediated material interfaces, encompassing the meeting zones between existing and new architectural materials and spatial elements, using advanced digital media such as 3D scanning, parametric design and digital fabrication.
   2. Showcase the ability to translate the material experiments at the micro scale of a material sample into the macro scale of an architectural detail, element and/or larger spatial entity.
   3. Demonstrate the ability to employ architectural experimentation in the spirit of research by design as a driving force that simultaneously generates new architectural knowledge and informs a design proposal.

Formulation of judgements and attitude

1. 1. Critically discuss and evaluate the quality of the interfaces between the materials combined in the studio, through lenses such as cultural value, spatial quality, aesthetics, functionality and sustainability.
   2. Provide arguments for how resource-efficient reuse of materials and building elements, as well as sustainable digital manufacturing techniques can contribute to more circular design and construction in the near future.
   3. Formulate the challenges to be faced by architects when employing new circularity principles and sustainable digital fabrication techniques in a new design practice that encompasses architectural assignments such as renovation, historic preservation and adaptive reuse.

The course syllabus in the Study Portal can be found here.

 

Examination form, grading and key grade components

Mandatory attendance

A minimum of 80% overall attendance in lectures, seminars, presentations, pin-ups, tutorials and demos is required to pass the course. Compensation for absences above 20% is not possible and no extra tutoring and other sessions will be offered as a high level of attendance in course activities is a necessary element of the continuous assessment and examination, securing the obtainment of the learning objectives by each student. Further, attendance in the introduction to safety in the robot lab and demos for robot programming is mandatory. This absence cannot be compensated for unless a doctor’s certificate is provided in case of sickness. In other cases, if any of these sessions are missed, the student needs to take the course again in the next rounds as these introductions are an essential condition enabling the student to conduct the studio work.

Mandatory submissions and late submissions

The submission of all course assignments, laid out on the course page on Canvas and specified in a detailed assignment document posted on Canvas, under Modules is mandatory. Missed submissions of the assignments will result in a fail grade as these assignments are an essential part of the continuous examination of the student. The missing assignments (Assignments 1-4), except for the final one, can be submitted any time after the deadline under the respective assignment on Canvas, up until the final deadline being the final course submission date. If a deadline for the final submission (Assignment 5) is missed, please contact the course examiner immediately to establish if and how this can be compensated for. After alignment with the examiner, the missing material should NOT be sent via email to the examiner. Instead, it should always be uploaded on Canvas, as an Assignment called “Completions”, within a deadline established with the examiner. The final missed submissions and completions will be evaluated, graded and registered in Ladok by the examiner only during the exam and re-exam periods, without extra supervision or tutoring.

Final course grade

The final course grade is calculated based on a weighted grading system. Weighted grades refer to the different levels of importance assigned to the different parts of the learning and classwork, that altogether constitute the final grade. Accordingly, the final grade is cumulative across the duration of the studio and comprises:

• 20%: Participation in the course activities (course intro, tooling seminar, pinup, robot lab intros and demos, tutorials, final presentation, course reflection seminar).
• 20%: Submissions (development of the work across the semester, evaluated based on the presence of submissions for the five required hand-ins).
• 30%: Material presented at the final presentation/review (mandatory).
• 30%: Material submitted for the final assignment (Assignment 5, mandatory).

The final grade thus takes progress during the entire studio into account, as well as the quantity and quality of the work presented at the final review. The work is in addition assessed for its level of effort, its level of engagement with themes presented in the studio brief, and its graphic and verbal presentation.

The matrix that will be used to calculate the grades can be found here. The final course grades are Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail. In case of a fail grade, if relevant, the student may receive a written list of complimentary tasks to complete, but no further supervision. Not presenting at the final review, missing to submit the course assignments including the final one, missing the robot lab safety and demos, or less than 80% attendance will all result in a fail grade. The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if, for instance, a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability or sickness.

The final seminar

The attainment of the learning objectives by the student is assessed as a large part of the continuous examination (30% of the final grade) at the final seminar of the studio, through a review of the design research posters and their verbal presentation, as well as the curated display of design samples and models. In the final seminar, the student gives a presentation of the design proposal, and displays comprehensive design research posters with drawings, diagrams, annotations, short text explanations, and other illustrations and graphic materials. The graphic materials, physical models and the narrative of the verbal presentation of the project by the student are examined. A mandatory element, complementing the individual student presentation is a collective display of the physical samples and models generated by students during the design experimentation phase.

A jury that includes the examiner, tutors, and an invited reviewer evaluates the student during and after the presentation. This part of the continuous examination features a question round followed by comments. The evaluation has the character of a conversation where the student responds with an open mind. The architectural content and visual quality of the boards and models allow to assess directly the student's abilities and skills. During a closer survey of the presentation materials and subsequent dialog during the examination, the student's knowledge and understanding are demonstrated along with the ability to formulate individual judgements and attitudes (see the Learning objectives section for a list of specific learning goals to be demonstrated and attained).

The final submission and research synopsis

The attainment of the learning objectives by the student at the final seminar of the studio is further assessed in a complementary review of the design research synopsis (30% of the final grade). The synopsis, the delivery of all material samples and models produced in the course, as well as the final version of the design research poster, comprise the final submission at the end of the course. The contents and deadlines for the final submission (Assignment 5) are given on Canvas.

For the design research synopsis, the student creates a short piece of academic writing complemented with graphics, in a booklet layout designed by the student. The synopsis should include a short contextualization and justification of the student’s personal work against the backdrop of relevant research and experimental architectural projects, a personal description of the architectural intent, a summary of the main findings of the design experimentation process, and an overview of the most important features of the resultant speculative architectural design proposal. The synopsis should conclude with a critical reflection on the importance and challenges of the topic undertaken in the studio. In the synopsis review, the broader knowledge and understanding, as well as individual student's judgements and attitudes are examined (see the Learning objectives section).