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Advanced Professional Master in Digital Architecture

Advanced Professional Master in Digital Architecture

Advanced Professional Master in Digital Architecture (60 ECTC, 1.5 academic years, extended time)
Professional profile

The program “Advanced Professional Master in Digital Architecture” aims to provide students with an improved theoretical knowledge in urban development and architectural issues and the practical ability to apply these skills, in public institutions, private private firms and enterprises, specialized non-governmental structures or non-profit or academic and research institutions. The program is not simply a study of the architectural and design process: the added value of the joint degree is the way in which it provides students with a critical understanding of digital tools and their application in today’s architectural practice, including generative methods of creation and automation of the creation of architecture through algorithms and computer logic, production through digital manufacturing tools, analysis and optimization of architectural form and shell through digital analytical tools and above all the understanding and integration of these tools and methodologies in the daily architectural practice of students. In the last 30 years, architecture has adopted the use of digital tools in its creation without changing the processes and methods of making architecture, but simply by changing the application method. Advanced computer tools go beyond the traditional process of making architecture, so their exploration and learning opens up new possibilities for an architecture that uses information technology and digital tools as an added value. Thus, this master aims to equip Master level students with multidisciplinary knowledge and the ability to analyze and understand the diversity of disciplines and actors involved in the ever-changing process of urban development and to translate this into plans and schemes.

EDUCATION PROGRAM

Semester I
Algorithmic Design 1The course aims to prepare and equip students with the basic knowledge of modeling architectural geometries through algorithmic design using parametric schemes. The course provides the basics of understanding algorithmic design as well as the basics of understanding parametric geometries. Contemporary approaches to modeling architectural geometries are increasingly computational and this is reflected in the desire of architects to have more control over the parameters and the generative process. This in itself increases the efficiency with which project variations can be explored, artifacts analyzed, and different outcomes considered. The complexity in constructing non-standard geometries can often be simplified by creating sequences and instructions for manufacturing machines that allow the geometry to be constructed from specific manufacturing techniques and materials.
Interactive EnvironmentNatural elements communicate with each other through complex processes that can inspire design practices. A better understanding of these processes can provoke a line of thought and innovative design methods. This becomes even more interesting when natural processes are connected through technology and computers. Natural phenomena such as light, wind or water can be used as design drivers. The skin of a building is especially interesting to explore as it is always in contact with the environment and is sometimes exposed to harsh conditions. The possibilities to rethink and reimagine the facade of a building as a dynamic functional element that responds to the environment are almost endless and a goal of research for many architects.
Advanced GeometryThe presence of information technology in contemporary architectural practice has brought about various changes, both at the technical and physical levels. Different names such as ‘parametric design’, ‘interactive design’ or computational design are just some of the fragmentations that information technology has brought. If information technology can be seen as a new paradigm (Saggio 2007), for the experience of design, the course will explore the ways in which technology allows us to create and produce forms through advanced computer tools. Within the course, the exploration of Non-standard Architecture (Oosterhuis 2010), or more precisely of non-standard geometry, which emerged as one of the most visible results of the presence of the computer in architecture. In this framework, the course will be developed both as a series of new skills for students, but also as a trend of recent decades of production and generation of architectural form.
Computer Design TheoryThe presence of information technology in contemporary architectural practice has brought about various changes, both at the technical and physical levels. Different names such as ‘parametric design’, ‘interactive design’ or computational design are just some of the fragmentations that information technology has brought. If information technology can be seen as a new paradigm (Saggio 2007), for the experience of design, the course will explore the ways in which technology allows us to create and produce forms through advanced computer tools. Within the course, the exploration of Non-standard Architecture (Oosterhuis 2010), or more precisely of non-standard geometry, which emerged as one of the most visible results of the presence of the computer in architecture.
Studio in Computer DesignThe “Studio in Computer Design” course takes as its main goal and motive the use of computer-generated methods in the creation of form and the production of architecture, expanding further on the implication that information technology brings not only in the generation of form but also in its functionality. Thus, aspects of buildings related to computational design are taken as case studies to create and isolate elements that become part of architecture throughout its life.Thus, computational design is seen as a tool not only to generate architectural form as an artifact, but to generate the longevity and functions of architecture over time.
Semester II
Algorithmic Design 2The course aims to prepare and equip students with the basic knowledge of modeling architectural geometries through algorithmic design using parametric schemes. The course provides the basics of understanding algorithmic design as well as the basics of understanding parametric geometries. Contemporary approaches to modeling architectural geometries are increasingly computational and this is reflected in the desire of architects to have more control over the parameters and the generative process. This in itself increases the efficiency with which project variations can be explored, artifacts analyzed, and different outcomes considered. The complexity in constructing non-standard geometries can often be simplified by creating sequences and instructions for manufacturing machines that allow the geometry to be constructed from specific manufacturing techniques and materials.
Laboratory of Digital ProductionThis course will develop a critical analysis and practical presentation of digital
production and new technologies related to architecture. This will be achieved through a connection and presentation of modeling tools in relation to manufacturing parameters. Thus, digital manufacturing tools such as CNC or rapid prototyping such as 3D printers will be the main topics that will be presented during this laboratory. Students will design, prototype and produce their projects at different scales. The course will give them the tools to understand digital tectonics and assemblies. The projects will be followed by case studies related to the students’ work.
Performative DesignThe course will actively develop and introduce students to the potential for performative design in architecture. Performance can be understood as the inclusion of parameters (material, technique, geometry, programmatic) that inform the design process. The course will build on the knowledge acquired by students up to this point, in order to equip them with new skills developed further through computational tools. The course seeks to provide new ways of thinking about design and production in architecture as a method for applying and further developing the performative capabilities of a building. A deeper understanding of these tools and how they can be applied will strengthen students’ knowledge and understanding of the discipline of architecture in relation to digital tools.
Studio in Advanced Architectural DesignThrough the analysis of several built and complex case studies, students in this course will be introduced to generative modeling and analysis methods. The work is based on the creation of a building system by understanding the geometric dependencies. The challenge is to propose improvements to this system and a study of the positives and negatives when the system is applied to an arbitrary geometry. This is also accompanied by studies of architectural form finding strategies for efficient structures. The knowledge acquired during this course will be transferred and used in future courses. Students will be introduced to new computational tools in the creation and finding of architectural forms, thus giving them a new critical repertoire based on digital computer-aided design. Generative methods of form creation and analysis will be the goal and core of the knowledge that will be presented to students.
Semester III
Integrated Diploma Thesis LaboratoryThe Integrated Thesis Laboratory is a course that prepares students for the start of their thesis, by introducing them to a series of possible topics and critical approaches to these topics. Thus, students are given a broad overview of the current practice and application of digital design methods. Students thus learn to synthesize their ideas into a sequence of actions and operations that must then be translated into computer instructions and actions for generation during the thesis, based on critical thinking and algorithmic design logic. The course aims to facilitate the process of starting the thesis by students, by encouraging discussions and alternative approaches to the normal design process. Thus, students become able to synthesize complex ideas into smaller processes and to incorporate the methods learned during the different courses of the program.
Professional PracticeProfessional Practice is a part of the curriculum, mandatory to be completed by the student in the final year of studies in which he/she is. Teaching practice is an integral part of your study program and takes place specifically in the second semester of the final year and implies the development of practice near an institution company/studio whose object of activity is the same or similar to your study program. Professional practice will be carried out in institutions according to the student’s profile, both in the public and private sectors. POLIS University develops cooperation with several public and private institutions, concretized through agreements, in which students can carry outprofessional practice.
Thesis and Diploma ProjectThesis and Diploma Project is a course that prepares students for the start of their thesis, by introducing them to a series of possible topics and critical approaches to these topics. Thus, students are given a broad overview of the current practice and application of digital design methods. Students thus learn to synthesize their ideas into a sequence of actions and operations that must then be translated into computer instructions and actions for generation during the thesis, based on critical thinking and algorithmic design logic. The course aims to facilitate the process of starting the thesis by students, by encouraging discussions and alternative approaches to the normal design process. Thus, students become able to synthesize complex ideas into smaller processes and to incorporate the methods learned during the different courses of the program.