Interactive Architecture Workshop

Shenyang Jianzhu University

Overview 
The aim of the course is to develop the skills necessary to explore, think about, and design responsive and interactive architecture.  The primary goal of the course is to expose students to innovative way of thinking about design in terms of adaptability with respect to intelligent building skins.  The idea is to create building skins that can physically re-configure themselves to meet changing needs. The central issues explored are human and environmental interaction, embedded computational infrastructures, physical control mechanisms and the processes that architects and designers can use in creating and demonstrating of such systems.   Within the framework of this course, design processes and methodologies will be developed so that students will have the practical confidence to explore such systems in future design explorations.

Figure 1

Indicative Content
Intelligent kinetic systems arise from the convergence of three key elements: kinetic engineering, embedded computation and adaptable architecture. At the intersection of these areas exists an area of interactive environments tuned to adaptability.  The course will address kinetic function as a technological design strategy for building types and objects that are efficient in form, and inherently flexible with respect to various contexts and a diversity of purposes. The course will provide both theoretical and practical foundations in the technological tools necessary for the physical modelling of systems that can demonstrate responsive behaviours. The following topics will be covered:

  • Historical overview of interaction design
  • Overview of precedent in intelligent building skins
  • Basic mechanical and technological principles of kinetic design.
  • Introduction to basic behavioural patterns based on environment adaptation.
  • Hands-on introductory robotics for connecting sensors and motors to kinetic structures to prototype behaviours

    Workshop
  • Conceptual designing
  • Hands-on physical model fabrication.
  • Mechanical Designing
  • Introduction to Audrino: hands-on electronics - connecting sensors and motors to kinetic structures
  • Prototyping


Teaching Methodology
The course is project based and centers on a series of three design exercises successively building upon each other and culminating in the construction of working physical interactive models. There will be lectures to provide theoretical understandings, tutorials on effectiveness of design solutions, and hands-on workshop to help accumulate practical prototyping experiences.