The Digital Making workshop creates stronger synergies between an extra curricular Skills Bazaar series (led by Dr Chantelle Niblock) and a MArch Technology module (lead by Dr Sean Cullen). Studentsco-designed creative structures using digital modelling techniques and build a series of small physical sculptures during a specialised workshop. A larger sculpture was built from a material considered as waste – bamboo – which is locally sourced from a nearby urban site in Belfast.
It is a small, yet international, collaborative project which investigated how the use of parametric modelling and digital simulation can support the design for structures, whilst embedding principles of circular economy and designing out waste. Collaborators include Dr Mia Tedjosaputro, Assistant Professor at Xi’an Jiaotang– Liverpool University (XJTLU), and Dr John Harding, lecturer in Architecture at the University of Reading.
The project highlights creative use of technology in the design process and brings students across year groups together during a fun virtual and practical experiment. It will have a positive contribution to the School’s community and culture. The innovative use of technology and collaborative nature of the project will help develop a unique understanding of digital design practices and knowledge of a lesser used material – bamboo.