Architectural Informatics

International Summer Program

Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

Beijing, China

Aug 17th – 31st 2024

Instructors: Boyuan Yu, Jianing Luo, Provides Ng

Students: Ki Wook Rha, Balsam Al-Hadithi, Seohyeon Kim, Zhiyong Li, Zijun Zhao, Yue Lu, Yuyao Zhang

The Architectural Informatics workshop stands at the intersection of architecture design and information processing, revolutionizing wood upcycling practices by merging digital and manual techniques. This interdisciplinary workshop focuses on creatively transforming leftover materials, such as wood waste, into high-value products like furniture and cladding. Through the integration of cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (XR), the workshop explores how these tools can enhance upcycling by automating design communication and facilitating digital fabrication. Despite the potential, the integration of technology and craftsmanship remains in an exploratory stage, requiring further experimentation for practical application.

Participants will engage in an iterative "design thinking" process, working through a technological workflow that includes 3D scanning, AI-driven design, VR simulation, and MR-assisted assembly. The workshop emphasizes the flow of architectural information from physical to digital and back, creating an interactive feedback loop aimed at developing sustainable design solutions. Students from diverse disciplines and cultural backgrounds will define urban challenges, user requirements, and design potentials, ultimately developing prototypes that embody sustainable urban and community construction (SDG Goal 11). The workshop culminates in the virtual simulation and physical assembly of prototypes, testing innovative approaches to promoting sustainability in urban environments.