This is an archive page for San Francisco Global School: California College of the Arts, San Francisco

Forthcoming dates for this school to be announced.

San Francisco Global School: California College of the Arts, San Francisco

Monday 11 – Friday 22 July 2011

Biodynamic Structures is a two-week design workshop co-taught by the Emtech faculty at the AA and the faculty of Architecture and MEDIAlab at California College of the Arts, exploring active and passive systems in architectural design that respond to changing environmental and spatial needs. Students will work in teams to research specific biological systems, extracting logics of organisation, geometry, structure and mathematics. Associative modelling, simulation and digital fabrication tools will be introduced in order to apply this information to the design of both passive and active responsive architectural systems.

The workshop explores theoretical concepts of emergence and selforganisation in complex biological systems, and their technical application via material systems in the built environment. Form-generation, material organisation, and performance with respect to environmental, spatial and social constraints are approached as three interrelated methods of enquiry in the investigation of an integral parametric and algorithmic design framework. These tools and concepts will introduce an approach to architectural design dependent on bottom-up interactions in order to generate complex design solutions.

The workshop will provide students with the opportunity to engage in parallel with both the theoretical aspects of biomimetics and integrated design processes, as well as the technical tools essential for the realisation of design outcomes. It will explore passive and active responsive systems, capable of interacting with their context, both environmental and social. The work generated throughout the workshop, as well as the final prototypes constructed will contribute to a publication and travelling exhibition as the culmination of the three-year programme.

Applications

Applications are now closed.

Fees

The AA Visiting School requires a fee of £650 per participant, which includes a £50 Visiting Student Membership. Fees do not include flights or accommodation.

Course dates of San Francisco Visiting School 2012 TBC