I have just finished (last week) a very intensive 12 day workshop that was part of the Architectural Association of London’s Global Traveling Summer School. The AA’s Emergent Technologies department combined with CCA’s technology and architecture faculty and a whole host of visiting faculty from all over the world. Named Biodynamic Structures, it was a crash course in responsive architecture taken from a biomimetic stand point. The first half was intensive workshops in Grasshopper, Arduino, Firefly, Kangaroo, and VB.net combined with amazing lectures from Michael Weinstock (EmTec Director), George Jeronomedes (EmTec Director), Andy Payne (Lift Architects), Jason Kelly Johnson (Future Cities Lab), Craig Scott (IwamotoScott), Thom Faulders (Faulders Studio), Andrew Kudless (Matsys), Daniel Seagraves (Adrian Smith Architects), Tomas McKeag (CCA Faculty) and Ila Berman (Dean of Architecture, CCA). The latter half was focused on solving a design problem by altering any part of the CCA building envelope according to the emergent, bottom-up logic that we had been learning about in lectures. The whole workshop ended with an exhibition and celebration in the evening culminating in discussion led by faculty, students and exhibition visitors.
The participant body ranged from first time students to architecture professors to professionals working in the field. The sense of camaraderie and help that was given throughout was great. No information was kept private if it could help another team and the work showed it.
