Semesterprogram

3D-printing is changing architecture and design as well as engineering and construction. We want to explore this change and its significance for architectural design within the studio.

The course focuses on the application of 3D printing in design. Starting with an open brief where students are asked to develop a new 3D-printed building connected to an existing building. The focus is on natural materials such as clay, loam, and ceramics. A restaurant is to be created. In addition to the building design, students will have the opportunity to focus on different objects within the space at different scales – tableware, lighting, furniture, partitions, facades. Alternatively, they can focus on the technical structure and functioning of 3D-printing, or the materials used for 3D printing as part of the design. Each of these thematic focal points, which are proposed to the students as part of the open brief, offers a different approach to sustainable design and its challenges.

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Participants will design a fair booth that exemplifies novel concepts of reuse and circular economy in architecture. It hosts multiple and changing activities of visitors and exhibitors. The space is supposed to change over time, facilitated by modular and discrete building components, equipped with reversible connections as well as robots that assemble, dis-assemble and re-assemble. Participants will design elements specifically for reuse but also work with scrap and off-cut materials. Students will learn computational design techniques, digital fabrication, robotic assembly and prototyping. Furthermore, they will learn to assess the environmental impact of their designs using Life Cycle Assessment in a collaborative workshop with ENB. Design proposals will be digitally modelled and physically prototyped. The studio is part of the project „Design with Debris“, a collaboration of DDU and ENB, which is funded by the Sto Stiftung.

What if the architecture moves, becomes dynamic and animated? What if architectural space transforms from being static into reconfigurable compositions that adapt themself to the use and the users? In this studio we design ever-changing architectural spaces and materialize them in concrete with the help of advanced robotic fabrication. We explore how colossal (but hollow) building blocks that would usually rely on heavy lifting equipment can be moved, rotated and interlocked. These hollow objects balance, role and dance in a choreography of concrete to form animated spaces. The participants learn Rhino/Grasshopper and according computational design methods but also cast concrete, build formwork and rotomould building components with a robot. The group will build a large-scale dynamic installation at the start-up center of Darmstadt, HUB-31.

The DDU studio “Circular Production” explores how digital technologies in design and fabrication can contribute to novel strategies of circular economy in architecture and the construction sector. During the studio, participants will develop novel digital design strategies that exploit and benefit from circular economy by reusing building elements and apply them for the design within a given architectural context. Participants will design a building for urban production and learn parametric, combinatorial and algorithmic design techniques with which architecture can address the challenges of the climate crisis and resource scarcity.

Circular Production

The goal of the studio is the development of a design algorithm, which will produce geometry and architectural drawings for a pavilion proposal. This pavilion is to be designed for the Cour Carrée, historically the first built part of the Louvre Palast, which later developed into a collage of numerous interventions by at least fifteen different architects, over four centuries. Each of these interventions are specific to their exact location, their time of design and of construction, their architect – yet they echo one another through the formal rules defining them. These formal echoes extend through Paris along its historical axis all the way up to La Défense, making the Louvre Palast an exceptionally rich context, especially fit to inspire specific rules for the design algorithm developed during the studio. Groups of students will develop a rule-based aggregation system derived from the Louvre context, thus creating site-specific combinatorics in order to produce the pavilion drawings.

The LouvreWriter*

This studio explores how colossal building blocks that would otherwise rely on heavy equipment can be moved, rotated and interlocked. Hollow objects allow for a dynamic repositioning of their center of mass by charging and discharging inner cavities with water. Participants will design a joyful floating playground on the Main river in Frankfurt. Participants will learn computational design tools (Rhino, Grasshopper), online collaboration on 3D models and the use of game engines to dynamically simulate physical behavior. Finally, students will use Augmented Reality to generate immersive experiences of their design proposals within the urban context.

Floating Amusement

The studio explores new ideas and processes for a resource-efficient circular economy using digital technologies and design methods. Existing buildings will be 3D-scanned and converted into digital models. Construction elements such as columns, beams and slabs will be cut into smaller modules (at model scale) with the help of robots, which can then be digitally re-assembled into new buildings. The process is prototypically implemented in the DDU RoboLab. The participants learn the technologies robotics, 3D-scanning, 3D-printing and photogrammetry. The architectural design includes a temporary, modular building that will also become repository for future buildings. The possible “Vertiefer” of the studio starts with an intense workshop from 2. – 6. March 2020.

Design for (Re)Assembly

Computational Design and Digital Fabrication enable the exploration, the design and the construction of material-efficient structures and differentiated spaces. In this studio we will use the technology of rotoforming concrete, developed at the DDU, to speculate about the architectural design potential of this technology. Participants are invited to investigate the structural, constructional and architectural possibilities of designing and building with rotoformed constructions. No previous knowledge of 3d modelling, simulation, parametric design is expected or required. Software tutorials will be included in the course.

The Micro Factory

In this studio we will explore 1:1 prototypes and speculative design proposals based on the material system RotoForm. Participants will learn computational design strategies, simulation of material properties and materialization based on digital fabrication and robotics. Subsequently the constructive, design-related and potentials of the mineralic, hollow elements will be investigated through prototypes. In a design study the spatial, architectural and aethetic potential will be further explored. Design, digital and physical form finding, material research and fabrication and the materialisation process will be regarded as holistic and cyclic design process.

RotoForm

In this studio you will design a habitat for 1000 people. We will learn from existing residential typologies how to address the need for high-density in todays cities while maintaining good quality of life. We will investigate how to empower the architect to make design of high-density residential buildings better and faster by engaging non-architects in the process using computer games. We will use DDU’s Minecraft-based framework 20.000 BLOCKS where you will create you own design game and Rhino/Grasshopper where we will perform automated evaluations on the designs created by players of your game. Techniques that you will master include: analysing residential designs in Grasshopper, digitally fabricating building models, presenting complex designs in drawings. The studio will be taught in English and German.

Habitat 1000

This course introduces digital fabrication methods and tools in the field of architecture. The course allows for experimenting with digital fabrication tools such as CNC laser cutting machines, 3D printers, and 3D scanning devices. Students also learn the necessary modelling skills. A series of exercises in the course give a step-by-step introduction into digital fabrication, geometrical principles, and material behaviour. Participants acquire knowledge and experience to solve complex design-to-fabrication challenges in their future practice. The assignments include the production prototypes and the documentation of the design-to- fabrication process. This course is open to students of the Architecture Master program, TU Darmstadt. It is furthermore part of the UNITE! Architectural Engineering Pilot open to students from KTH Stockholm, Aalto University, Espoo/Helsinki, Wroctaw Tech, Grenoble INP-UGA, Politecnico di Torino, Universidade de Lisboa.

The seminar focuses on the topic of 3D-printing with ceramic materials using a Wasp Delta printer. Within this research area, we dedicate ourselves to generative and novel design possibilities that 3D printing with clay or porcelain paste offers. The seminar teaches both the basics of preprocessing for 3D-printing as well as the special geometric and process requirements for 3D-printing with ceramic materials. In addition, the students are introduced to new processes such as non-planar slicing and the subsequent manipulation of tool paths for 3D-printing within the framework of digital and physical experiments.

Robotic assembly is revolutionizing the way we build, offering new possibilities for architectural design and construction. This seminar will explore how robots are transforming the way we design and construct buildings, leading to a new era of building construction that is more precise, efficient, and sustainable.

During this seminar, you will discover how architects and designers are using a six-axis robotic arm to create innovative and complex geometries The process of designing and assembling demonstrators using the six-axis robotic arm will be introduced to show the potential of robotic assembly in architecture.

We will discuss different robotic assembly applications at various stages of the construction process, from prefabrication to on-site assembly, and explore the advantages and limitations of each approach. Additionally, we will examine case studies of buildings that have been designed and constructed using robotic assembly, ranging from small-scale installations to large-scale buildings. Through these examples, you will see how robotic assembly enables architects to realize previously impossible or impractical designs using traditional construction methods.

By the end of this seminar, you will better understand how the design for robotic assembly using a six-axis robotic arm creates more sustainable, efficient, and innovative buildings. You will also have the opportunity to design and assemble demonstrators that showcase the potential of robotic assembly in architecture. Let's begin exploring the possibilities of robotic assembly in architecture!

During this course, students will learn Python scripting in the environment of Rhino and Grasshopper. This seminar will investigate the potentials of algorithmic procedures for architectural design. It will enhance the student's knowledge of algorithms by developing computational thinking and scripting skills. Students will have an opportunity to explore forms and patterns generating based on mathematical and physical world principles. The seminar will be composed of a weekly course on Python scripting, with assignments focused on the production of drawings through coding. The last week of the seminar, a workshop will be hosted at DDU during which the students will have the opportunity to test a variety of tracing tools mounted on a six-axis robot to produce physical drawings based on their scripts of the semester. These drawings will be displayed later in the year at an exhibition organized as part of the LOEWE Architectures of Order research project.

The seminar deals with the methods of reconstructing virtually destroyed architecture. The students will learn about the professional visualization software 3ds Max.

One theme will be synagogues of the Rhein-Main-Gebiet destroyed 1938 by the Nazis.

The seminar Researching Design and Prototypes teaches tools and methods for research by design. Participants have the opportunity to work on their own research questions in the field of digital design. In addition, DDU offers a number of topics that can be explored individually. A prerequisite for participation in the seminar is a basic knowledge of 3D modeling, parametric modeling, and digital fabrication. The seminar includes several colloquia in which master students working on a research module also participate, so that an exchange on research-based design can take place. Research topics from students and the department are presented and discussed at the first meeting.

During this course, students will learn Python scripting in the environment of Rhino and Grasshopper. This seminar will investigate the potentials of algorithmic procedures for architectural design. It will enhance the student's knowledge of algorithms by developing computational thinking and scripting skills. Students will have an opportunity to explore forms and patterns generating based on mathematical and physical world principles. The seminar will be composed of a weekly course on Python scripting, with assignments focused on the production of drawings through coding. The last week of the seminar, a workshop will be hosted at DDU during which the students will have the opportunity to test a variety of tracing tools mounted on a six-axis robot to produce physical drawings based on their scripts of the semester. These drawings will be displayed later in the year at an exhibition organized as part of the LOEWE Architectures of Order research project.

The seminar deals with the methods of reconstructing virtually destroyed architecture. The students will learn about the professional visualization software 3ds Max.

One theme will be synagogues of the Rhein-Main-Gebiet destroyed 1938 by the Nazis.

Bachelor courses and master courses will be offered.

The course introduces students to the tools and methods of computational design. Students will be introduced to 3d modeling techniques with Rhinoceros, parametric and algorithmic design with Grasshopper, and scripting with Python.

The seminar investigates past and present drawing machines architects resort to. The focus is set on machines producing perspective drawings, such as Deville or Lambert's perspectographs. Machines and the methods of descriptive geometry will be examined from a technical and from a historical point of view. Existing historical documentation available is used to retrace the story of the machines and to understand their functioning. The programming environment Processing is then used to virtually reproduce the machines. Finally, the machines are fabricated and controlled through Processing and the electronic prototyping tool Arduino. The seminar thus aims at the recreation and examination of major drawing tools that have served architects throughout time. Through this, the seminar interrogates the place of analog and digital drawing gestures.

During this course, students will learn Python Scripting in the environment of Rhino and Grasshopper. This seminar will investigate the potentials of algorithmic procedures for architectural design. It will enhance the student's knowledge of algorithms by developing computational thinking and scripting skills. Students will have an opportunity to explore forms and patterns generating based on mathematical and physical world principles.

Parametric Design unlocks novel design possibilities and enables interdisciplinary collaboration of architects and structural engineers. These tools and methods will be applied and explored for the design of space frame structures. In this course participants will learn about space frame structures and their nodal connections and their properties through examples from practice and a series of small design exercises. 3D-modelling, parametric design and structural calculations will be conducted in Rhino, Grasshopper and Karamba. Space frames and nodes will be materialized through the use of digital fabrication (3D-printing, laser cutting). The exam consists of one colloquium and three small design exercises. Architects and engineers will collaborate in design teams.

The seminar deals with the methods of reconstructing virtually destroyed architecture. The students will learn about the professional visualization software 3ds Max.

One theme will be synagogues destroyed 1938 by the Nazis.

Bachelor courses and master courses will be offered.

In 2021, the festival year 1700 Jewish Life in Germany will be celebrated. The department is using this year as an opportunity to continue the tradition of virtual reconstructions of synagogues. On the one hand, the seminar teaches the basic approach to virtual reconstructions of destroyed architecture. The students will get to know the professional visualisation software 3ds Max. On the other hand, students will deal with the building type of the synagogue and make a contribution to the culture of remembrance with the reconstruction of synagogues. The results will be incorporated into the department's exhibition “Synagogues in Germany – A Virtual Reconstruction”.

Bachelor courses and master courses will be offered.

During this course, students will learn Python Scripting in the environment of Rhino and Grasshopper. This seminar will investigate the potentials of algorithmic procedures for architectural design. It will enhance the student's knowledge of algorithms by developing computational thinking and scripting skills. Students will have an opportunity to explore forms and patterns generating based on mathematical and physical world principles.

This course is recommended to students with basic knowledge of Rhino and Grasshopper.

The building industry is responsible for considerable environmental impact due to its linear consumption of resources and energy, and the production of waste.

Modular architecture can reduce material waste and allows for constantly transforming structures. Discrete systems, consisting of a set of dry-jointed, interlocking parts provide great advantages for flexible and adaptable constructions with the ability of re-assembling the elements in different configurations. In the seminar participants will first get an overview of existing modular systems and subsequently design, simulate and fabricate interlocking, dry-jointed systems using computational modelling, rigid body simulation and 3d printing.

The course will be taught in English.

The course introduces students to the tools and methods of computational design. Students will be introduced to 3d modeling techniques with Rhinoceros, parametric and algorithmic design with Grasshopper, and scripting with Python.

In the seminar there are two main focuses that can be chosen. On the one hand the seminar deals with the methods of reconstructing virtually destroyed architecture. The students will learn about the professional visualization software 3ds Max. One theme will be synagogues destroyed 1938 by the Nazis. On the other hand, students should deal with the topics of memory and the Internet using the example of the destroyed synagogues, as well as with the topic of exhibition in virtual reality. For this, knowledge of the software Unreal or Unity is helpful but not a prerequisite.

Bachelor courses and master courses will be offered.

Parametric Design unlocks novel design possibilities and enables interdisciplinary collaboration of architects and structural engineers. These tools and methods will be applied and explored for the design of space frame structures. In this course participants will learn about space frame structures and their nodal connections and their properties through examples from practice and a series of small design exercises. 3D-modelling, parametric design and structural calculations will be conducted in Rhino, Grasshopper and Karamba. Space frames and nodes will be materialized through the use of digital fabrication (3D-printing, laser cutting). The exam consists of one colloquium and three small design exercises. Architects and engineers will collaborate in design teams.

In the seminar there are two main focuses that can be chosen.

On the one hand the seminar deals with the methods of reconstructing virtually destroyed architecture. The students will learn about the professional visualization software 3ds Max. One theme will be synagogues destroyed 1938 by the Nazis.

On the other hand, students should deal with the topic of remembrance and the Internet using the example of the destroyed German synagogues and create a website. Knowledge of creating websites is helpful for this, but not a prerequisite.

Bachelor courses and master courses will be offered.

The course introduces students to the tools and methods of computational design. Students will be introduced to 3d modeling techniques with Rhinoceros, parametric and algorithmic design with Grasshopper, and scripting with Python.

The course introduces students to the tools and methods of computational design. Students will be introduced to 3d modeling techniques with Rhinoceros, parametric and algorithmic design with Grasshopper, and scripting with Python.

The seminar deals with the principal methods of reconstructing virtually destroyed architecture. The students will learn about the professional visualization software 3ds Max.

Themes lie in the three dimensional visualization of drawings by Piranesi as well as in the reconstruction of a Roman military camps and cities for example Nida (Frankfurt Heddernheim).

The project will be scientifically guided by involved museums.

Bachelor courses and master courses will be offered.

The seminar deals with the principal methods of reconstructing virtually destroyed architecture. The students will learn about the professional visualization software 3ds Max.

Themes lie in the reconstruction of a Roman military camps and cities for example Nida (Frankfurt Heddernheim) as well as the Berlin railway station Anhalterbahnhof.

Students learn about Roman architecture and its reconstruction and about the structure of one of the biggest railwaystations in Europe. The project will be scientifically guided by involved museums.

Bachelor courses and master courses will be offered.

Linking 3D-modeling software to industrial robots allows architects to materialize ideas in a continuous digital workflow. In the seminar, participants design prototypical constructions in the computer. Subsequently these systems will be transferred into robot fabrication processes. The seminar is supported by a start-up company that works at the interface of architecture, design and robotics. Participants work with Rhino and Grasshopper and learn new tools for computational design and robotic fabrication.

The course aims at introducing students to the tools and methods of computational design, including 3d modelling, algorithmic design and generative processes. Students will be introduced to 3d modelling techniques with Rhinoceros, parametric and algorithmic design with Grasshopper, and scripting with Python.

After introduction to all the tools, students will be asked to develop a personal project, applying the learned tools in one of these four areas: digital fabrication, discrete modelling, generative design, environmental modelling.

The course is thought as an introduction to the different tools used in computational design, and it is beneficial particularly for students interested in continuing their research in the field of digital design and fabrication.

Virtual Reality is becoming increasingly important for the visualization and experience of architecture. An interactive and immersive environment creates new possibilities and challenges for future design.

You will learn how to use the software Unity which is used in architecture for various purposes: e.g. for interactive 3D-visualization and simulation of a planned building, as well as for generative and parametric design. It also forms the interface between 3D-modelling and virtual reality.

During this seminar you will work in groups to realize and experience your own concepts and designs in virtual reality (HTC Vive). A 4-day workshop on intuitive design with modular blocks in VR in collaboration with Leibniz University Hannover is part of this seminar.

The seminar deals with the principal methods of reconstructing virtually destroyed architecture. The students will learn about the professional visualization software 3ds Max.

Themes lie in the reconstruction of Roman military camps and cities for example Nida (Frankfurt Heddernheim) as well as the Berlin railway station Anhalterbahnhof.

Students learn about Roman architecture and its reconstruction and about the structure of one of the biggest railway stations in Europe. The project will be scientifically guided by involved museums.

Bachelor courses and master courses will be offered.

Parametric Design unlocks novel design possibilities and enables interdisciplinary collaboration of architects and structural engineers. These tools and methods will be applied and explored for the design of space frame structures. These lightweight structures are relevant today as scarcity of resources and climate change are forcing us to rethink the way we design and build. In this course participants will learn about space frame structures and their properties through examples from practice and a series of small design exercises. 3D modelling, parametric design and structural calculations will be conducted in Rhino, Grasshopper and Karamba. The exam consists of one colloquium and three small design exercises. Architects and engineers will collaborate in design teams.

Virtual Reality is becoming increasingly important for the visualization and experience of architecture. An interactive and immersive environment creates new possibilities and challenges for future design.

In this block seminar we will teach how to use the software Unity and SteamVR. Unity is used in architecture for various purposes: e.g. for interactive 3D visualization and simulation of a planned building, as well as for generative and parametric design. It also forms the interface between 3D modelling and virtual reality.

During this seminar students will have the opportunity to realize and experience your own concepts and designs in virtual reality (HTC Vive) in project groups.

Current developments in computer-aided design methods, manufacturing techniques and robot control open up new possibilities for materialisation in architecture. Besides the automation of traditional manufacturing techniques, robotic tools offer the possibility to explore adaptive, interactive and reactive manufacturing methods.

We impart skills and understanding for computer-aided design strategies and robot control for digital manufacturing (e.g. sensor technology, data processing, livestreaming).

In small individual studies on these topics, your computer-aided manufacturing concepts will be investigated with robots. In the concluding workshop (12. – 16.08.2019) we will jointly develop an experimental prototype.

The course aims at introducing students to the tools and methods of computational design, including 3d modelling, algorithmic design and generative processes. Students will be introduced to 3d modelling techniques with Rhinoceros, parametric and algorithmic design with Grasshopper, and scripting with Python.

After introduction to all the tools, students will be asked to develop a personal project, applying the learned tools in one of these four areas: digital fabrication, discrete modelling, generative design, environmental modelling.

The course is thought as an introduction to the different tools used in computational design, and it is beneficial particularly for students interested in continuing their research in the field of digital design and fabrication.

Methods of measurement and representation influence the work of architects. 3D-Scanning for capturing three-dimensional objects and spaces and their digital representation invites you to take a new look at the relationship between process and result.

Participants first learn the basics of Rhino and Grasshopper and then various 3D-scan methods, data preparation in Rhino and the use of the technology as a design tool.

The course is aimed primarily at students in the studio of DDU.

While technological innovation has given us new tools of architectural representation, and as such have enriched the discipline, the architectural practice has not changed in more than 150 years. But technology is bound to disrupt it just like it did with every other industry today.

This demands that we rethink the role of the architect. The information age start in the 1960s triggered a lot of technology-driven experiments in architecture such as the Architecture Machine Group of Negroponte in MIT or the Flatwriter by Friedman that aimed to amplify the architect’s abilities and reposition them as a person creating design environments for others. This text research and writing seminar explores the theoretical background of participative and computational architecture. Each student will read and present two short texts on the topic and write an essay summarizing the aspects learned in the seminar.

The seminar deals with the principal methods of reconstructing virtually destroyed architecture. The students will learn about the professional visualization software 3ds Max.

Beside other themes the emphasis lies in the reconstruction of the Roman military camp in Albano, 20 km located before Rome. The Goal is the reconstruction of the thermae and the cistern.

Students learn about Roman architecture and its reconstruction. The project will be scientifically guided by involved archeologists and the Römisch-Germanisches-Zentralmuseum in Mainz.

Bachelor courses and master courses will be offered.