Design Assignment

During the lectures, you will become acquainted with parametric thinking and parametric
tools. By the end of the course, you are expected to build further on the gained knowledge
and extend it into this assignment. The design assignment is carried out individually.

Brief

Your task is to conceptualize, design, and analyse a secondary adaptive shading system aimed
at reducing the sun radiation on the southern façade of your building. Your initial façade must
be considered as a glazed façade, which will be covered by your designed adaptive secondary
façade. You should:

(1) set-up the adaptive geometry (capable to optimize the amount of opening) of the project
in a parametric way, and

(2) link this to:

• Plugins to assess the structural performance.

• Plugins to study the environmental/building physics aspects of the design.
• Plugins to study the urban area and investigate the location/relocation of your
building.

(3) Establishing a feasible digital fabrication and assembly workflow.

To achieve this, your design needs to put the gained knowledge of various parametric
software/plug-ins into practice (e.g., Rhino/Grasshopper, Karamba, LadyBug, etc.). Note that
there are many other plug-ins that can be used in the assignment; see the Food4Rhino website
for more options.

Goal

Cleverly apply parametric tools to create a project that fulfills functional goals and can be built
efficiently. Through a booklet presentation, you need to convey the message clearly and
captivatingly on how the design has been set up, which tools have been used, and which
workflow has been applied.

Deliverables

The final deliverables are as follows:

• A minimum 12-page booklet describing the work, containing text, pictures,

screenshots, perspectives, etc. The booklet should be in PDF format.
• Rhino, Grasshopper, and any other script files used in the design process.

Both deliverables must be uploaded to the WeBeep folder by the exam date. Please note
that there is only one exam date available, and all participants must register for that date.

To be included in the Booklet:

 • Your student profile details, including your name, family name, personal code, along
with the course details and the name of your project, should be displayed on the front
page of your booklet. (A conceptual picture designed by an AI website for the front
page based on your project is appreciated.)
• An explanation and argumentation for the choice of concept (Present case-study if you
have, as starting point);
• A diagram of the project’s workflow and applied parametric tools (Make a logic);
• A description of the parametric set-up (parameters) of the geometrical design (in
diagram form or with screenshots);
• An overview and short description of the selected city and providing some general
environmental analysis (two/three graphs or data table producing by LadyBug Plugin).
• An overview of the performed iso-vist analysis for locating the building in the selected
area and the main accessibility.
• An overview of the performed structural analysis (Defining the material, shape, and
dimensions of the structural section, and proving its structural efficiency).
• An overview of the performed radiation or sun-hour analysis, indicating the efficiency
of your system (Provide Before and After analysis and compare them).
• A short description and detailing of the fabrication methods and materials to be used in
building the project.
• A critical reflection on the strengths and limitations of the created model(s), workflow,
approach, etc.

Note: My suggestion is to use In-Design for booklet.

Workload

Each individual is expected to work approximately between 15-20 hours on the assignment.
There are four checkpoints where you can meet with the instructor for private revision sessions.
It is mandatory to participate in at least 3 out of 4 of these checkpoints. During each checkpoint,
you will have approximately 5-10 minutes to present your progress, address any issues, and
receive confirmation to proceed to the next step. It is suggested to allocate 3 checkpoints for
the parametric design of the geometrical facade and 1 checkpoint for the analysis. You are free
to watch tutorials and examples on the internet for guidance, but copying is not allowed. Use
them as inspiration or to learn how to solve algorithmic problems you may encounter.

Evaluation Criteria

1) Understanding of parametric thinking and development of parametric geometry, along

with reflection on the project (Weight: 30%)
2) Effective use of parametric tools, accompanied by an explanation of the workflow
(Weight: 10%)
3) Clear understanding of structural analysis and optimization (Weight: 15%)
4) Thorough understanding of environmental analysis/space syntax and efficient
application in architectural and urban design (Weight: 20%)
5) Competence in digital fabrication and assembly (Weight: 15%)
6) Quality of written content and illustrations (Weight: 10%)