Computational Circular Design

The course introduces students to the creative potential of computational design techniques applied to the reuse of building elements. Students will explore the design of discrete aggregative structures using parts sourced from a material bank. Particular attention will be given to non-destructive connections and to minimal modifications to reused parts, ensuring their future disassembly and further reuse. Historical construction systems developed in response to material scarcity, such as Philibert de L’Orme’s à petit bois or traditional Japanese timber joinery, will serve as the starting point for the design investigation. The course aims to develop computational strategies capable of expanding the architectural design, moving beyond reuse approaches based solely on assembly or collage. The technological foundations of the design research are represented by machine learning, used to optimize components subject to availability constraints, and by computational combinatorics.

The course focuses on teaching the application of computational tools as a creative technique within the field of reuse. It is designed to complement other courses that address the topic of reuse from an architectural perspective at a larger scale, or from the point of view of material fabrication and sourcing. In its first edition, the course will explore the reuse of load-bearing timber structures from existing buildings.

• Quality education
• Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Responsible consumption and production

In presence

The lectures provide students with fundamental knowledge of reuse-based construction systems for timber frame structures, the detailing of timber frame connections, and historical examples. In addition, they introduce the integration of construction techniques within computational design systems.

The exercises develop a proto-architectural structure (for example, a timber shelter), from the conceptual phase through to computational implementation. Students begin with a defined set of materials sourced from a material bank, which they reconstruct through a 1:50 scale physical model. Drawing on the historical and contemporary construction strategies presented during the lectures and through physical experiments, students develop individual reuse solutions. The outcomes of these experiments form the basis for the implementation of the computational design. The process is iterative, alternating between programming and physical model experimentation in order to refine the final intervention.

The design theme and the type of available material will vary each semester. The first semester will focus on the reuse of timber frame load-bearing structures.  

The exam will take the form of a presentation that consolidates the research and experiments conducted over the course of the semester.

• Presentation of project study with model
• Hand-in of presentation and supplementary files
• Grade: 50% project, 25% questions, 25% semester exercises
• Exercises and exam are concluded in groups of 2 students
• Semester exercises build towards the final hand-in