Intelligent surfaces

The premise of intelligent surfaces workshop

Enhancement in computation and analyzing data in real-time has evolved the way we design our built environment and create building facades. We have been following our intuition to predict the size or shape of any space, but the new technologies now allow us to solidify our predictions and provide a better solution. The new digital techniques, combined with human sensibility and manual (analog) techniques, are opening new grounds of design exploration that are directed towards seamless integration of form, material, and shape. This integrated process entails a shift from a traditional prediction-based model to processes of a generative and performative nature. This has resulted, in evolving our Design process, reflecting a synthesis of form, material, and performance. Intelligent Surfaces focuses on creating building surfaces based on the weather data collected and models as per the energy requirement.

Participants will be working on exercises, using techniques presented in the workshop. Workshop exercises will use Energy Modelling in combination with Computational Fluid Dynamics, Optimization & Evolutionary Solvers and Vectorial Fields to design forms of different scales and complexity.

The proposed workflow will combine the use of general Weather data, Solar access analysis, daylight simulations, radiance skies, comfort charts, wind simulation, on Rhino, Grasshopper, and CFD with some plugins, such as Weaverbird, and Lunchbox. During the workshop, participants will also be introduced to how to make their design more interactive using sensors and actuators with the help of the firefly plugin.

Classrooms will be conducted at SPARRO Studio, New Delhi

Structure of the workshop

Participants will learn to generate their form by creating an energy model for a built form in Rhino. This form will be analysed using the evolutionary solvers and components of ladybug and honeybee to optimize the design. We will also take a tour to understand wind using CFD on built forms. The workshop will also demonstrate the use of laser cutting machines as a part of the exercise that deals with different design challenges, interrogating the aesthetic potential of built design. Each topic will be presented with both theoretical introduction and practical application. On the evening of the Second day, participants will split into groups to develop their own projects, with direct supervision by the tutor, and towards their last day evening presentation.

DAY 1 SATURDAY (8 HOURS)

1. INTRODUCTION TO THE BASICS OF ENERGY MODELLING (WEATHER DATA, COMFORT CHARTS, SUN DIAGRAM, ETC.

2. INTRODUCTION TO LADYBUG TOOLS, HONEYBEE AND FIREFLY

3. VECTORIAL FIELD

4. LIST OF DATA MANIPULATION IN GRASSHOPPER

5. CALCULATE OUTDOOR THERMAL COMFORT, DRAW INTERACTIVE DIAGRAMS AND APPLY CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS, GENERATE CUSTOMIZED RESULT VISUALIZATIONS.

DAY 2 SUNDAY (8 HOURS)

1. PREPARING DAYLIGHT SIMULATION, GRID-BASED AND VIEW BASED DAYLIGHT SIMULATION.

2. CREATE RADIANCE MATERIALS AND RADIANCE SKIES.

3. PREPARE AND INTERPRET GEOMETRY FOR ENERGY MODELLING.

4. INTRODUCTION TO SENSORS, ACTUATORS AND MICROCONTROLLERS TO MAKE DESIGN INTERACTIVE.

5. DESIGN PROJECT ASSIGNMENT WITH THE USE OF LADYBUY TOOLS AND AN OPTIMIZED ENERGY MODEL FOR BUILDINGS

6. INTRODUCTION TO LASER CUTTING/3D PRINTING

7. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ITERATIONS, REVIEWS AND CREATING CLIMATE-RESPONSIVE BUILDING FACADE.

Take-Aways

• Using CFD to create environmentally responsive buildings.
• Learning how to use wind and solar to your own advantage in designing.
• In order to experiment on your own Arduino kit, an extra amount of 50 USD for the Arduino kit has to be paid. Your designed model along with you and some more goodies.

Classroom competitions are a part of this series of workshops and are meant for all the designers who want to explore their way with hands-on experience to gain skills and create real-world projects. Under this series, you participate in workshops at one of these Micro-studio and get awarded a trophy. In association with UNI, we are now expanding our vision of creating these micro-studios globally with a fusion of online design community and offline classrooms. This fusion will help us in combining different ideologies and diverse methodologies, to create a continuum that links ideas such as exploration, debate and collaboration at a global level to understand and create ‘Architecture of Everything.

EDUpass

EDUpass is a pass that can be used to participate in any workshop in this series (registration to be done 3 days prior to the commencement of the workshop). Multiple EDUpasses can be purchased and used in a group to attend a single workshop or a single participant can register for multiple workshops. For example, If you had purchased 6 passes, you can register for 6 different workshops or bring along 5 other friends/colleagues with you to attend a single workshop of your choice.

How does it work?

A Participant can purchase as many passes as he/she wants and 1 PASS permits entry to any 1 workshop and classroom competition of his/her choice. 

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UNI is a global network of architects and designers who are solving some of the most challenging problems around the globe. UNI brings together the world's largest pool of design challenges that are curated by the finest architecture academicians and professionals globally. With over 200,000+ registered members, UNI brings academia and professional spheres of architecture together through a unique knowledge-sharing web platform. 

Since 2017, UNI has hosted more than 200+ architecture competitions for various idea level to realization level briefs. In the past, UNI has helped 50+ organizations, universities, and government bodies to use our platform to generate architecture and design solutions through competitions.

UNI aims to create a seamless information exchange within the architecture industry with this one-of-a-kind community. It foresees a future where architects and consumers are getting real-world design deployed over the internet through sophisticated software and applications from anywhere in the world.

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