03-26-2013
B-Sides: Event #4 | Parametric Possibilities
Parametric design is an iterative, generative and reactive process. It allows for parameters to be put in place and altered based on the needs and goals of a project. The strength of parametric design however is not so much in the parameters as it is in the relationship between those parameters. This type of algorithmic design allows not just one solution to be explored, but a whole range of possibilities to be examined.
Tracking multiple iterations
B-Sides began less than a year ago, but our interests and activities have become well known throughout the office. Over the last several months, this informal group has gathered to do several design projects, including the Scale Figure Flash Mob, the Ubuilt Exhibition, the Battery Park Chair Design Competition and most recently, Mayor Bloomberg's Reinvent Payphones Competition. Ever since B-side was started as a platform for discussion about design, it looks to the pulse of the office for what to take on next. It is a group open to all ideas and suggestions.
Recently we noticed that a lot of people in the office were interested in learning more about parametric design (especially after the amazing design of the Miami Lounge. Lucky for us we have Mark Bearak, a great resource at our fingertips. Mark teaches parametric design at Columbia's GSAPP and volunteered to teach a three-session workshop on the basics of using Grasshopper.
Grasshopper interface
The final installation will be this coming Monday, April 1st.
For the first two weeks of April, we want to encourage all attendees to experiment with the software in order to engineer their own designs. Depending on the number of participants, people will either work individually or in small groups, with Grasshopper help sessions and time in the model shop available to anyone who participates. Above all, this workshop is meant to not only introduce architects to a new way of thinking, but more importantly to tailor these concepts to each individuals' own interests and pursuits. We have simply provided a small set of tools, and from there you can build on your existing skills to create something unique and far beyond the realms of traditional architecture.
Tracking multiple iterationsB-Sides began less than a year ago, but our interests and activities have become well known throughout the office. Over the last several months, this informal group has gathered to do several design projects, including the Scale Figure Flash Mob, the Ubuilt Exhibition, the Battery Park Chair Design Competition and most recently, Mayor Bloomberg's Reinvent Payphones Competition. Ever since B-side was started as a platform for discussion about design, it looks to the pulse of the office for what to take on next. It is a group open to all ideas and suggestions.
Recently we noticed that a lot of people in the office were interested in learning more about parametric design (especially after the amazing design of the Miami Lounge. Lucky for us we have Mark Bearak, a great resource at our fingertips. Mark teaches parametric design at Columbia's GSAPP and volunteered to teach a three-session workshop on the basics of using Grasshopper.
Grasshopper interfaceThe final installation will be this coming Monday, April 1st.
For the first two weeks of April, we want to encourage all attendees to experiment with the software in order to engineer their own designs. Depending on the number of participants, people will either work individually or in small groups, with Grasshopper help sessions and time in the model shop available to anyone who participates. Above all, this workshop is meant to not only introduce architects to a new way of thinking, but more importantly to tailor these concepts to each individuals' own interests and pursuits. We have simply provided a small set of tools, and from there you can build on your existing skills to create something unique and far beyond the realms of traditional architecture.