| CODE | AUD3221 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Theory of Digital Design | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Architecture and Urban Design | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | “Digital age is forging a very different kind of architecture [and built environment in general] and at the same time providing unprecedented opportunities… Digital technologies are enabling a direct correlation between what can be designed and what can be built, thus brining to the forefront the issues of production, communication, application and control of information in the building industry” (Branko Kolarevic) The study-unit focuses on the digital technologies used within the realm of contemporary architectural, structural, urban design and building construction and the radical changes introduced in the way built environments are analysed, designed and constructed. The first part of the study-unit is a historical overview of the development of the digital technologies in building industry from the early 1990s until today. It includes analysing work of a number of key architects, architectural practices, buildings and discourses in the field, with the aim of tracing back the digital processes that defined their final design. The aim of the second part of the study-unit is to give a general overview of the digital tools relevant for entire the building industry and all its participants (architects, engineers, planners, including project managers, construction managers, surveyors…). Study-unit Aims: - To discuss digitally-driven processes, their origin, and their effects on the built environment and construction industry; - To trace the transformations within architectural thought, design and construction by looking both into architectural theory and practice; - To give an overview of contemporary digital tools, from basic to complex, throughout the whole spectrum of design and construction of the built environment. The overview looks both at: • Digital planning technologies: geographic information system(GIS), mapping, simulation & optimisation (acoustics, wind, structure optimization...), computer aided architectural design (CAAD), rule-based planning (parametric), digital capture – terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), 3D scanning; • Digital production technologies that allow nonstandard design and mass customization: CNC technologies (precast concrete elements, laser cutting, jet cutting, hot wire cutting, milling & routing, bending, punching & nibbling), foaming & pressure foaming processes, robotics & robot-aided assembly processes, 3D printing & prototyping. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will: - Be able to identify the developments within the realm of digital design; - Become aware of the available, and soon to be available, digital technologies relevant to contemporary building industry, from concept design to construction; - Be able to understand the shift in the architectural practice brought about with digital technologies. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically approach the use of digital tools in building industry; - Understand the potential of digital technologies. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - "Digital Fabrication in Architecture", Nick Dunn'. - “Fabricating Architecture: Selected Readings in Digital Design and Manufacturing”, Robert Corser. - “Architecture in the Digital Age – Design and Manufacturing”, Branko Kolarevic. - “Digital Processes, Planning, design, production”, Detail Practice, edited by Mortiz hauschild and Rudger Karzel. - “Digital Design and Manufacturing, CAD / CAM Applications in Architecture and design” , Daniel Schodek, martin Bechthold, Kimo Griggs, Kenneth Martin Kao, and Marco Steinberg. - “Digital Tectonics”, ed. Neil Leach, David Turnbull, and Chris Williams. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Seminar & Independent Study | ||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Sean Buttigieg |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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