Architectural design aided by virtual modeling and rapid prototyping

Author(s)

Marina Rodrigues de Oliveira

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC/SBD)
• Defense date: 2011-02-14

Examining board members

Márcio Minto Fabricio; Maria Gabriela Caffarena Celani; Anja Pratschke

• Advisor: Márcio Minto Fabricio

Abstract

This master research work studies the employment of tools like virtual modeling and rapid prototyping on architectural designs trough educational institutions and commercial offices case studies from that use Rapid Prototyping Laboratories during the design process. Based on a literature review regarding design process, parametric design, virtual modeling, Building Information Model(ing) and rapid prototyping, connection between academic knowledge and potential design were performed in order to study the potentials, interferences, and future these technologies can offer to architectural design process. Two field studies were employed to investigate how technologies are influencing the design projects. The descriptive work presents the professional practice reality in São Paulo, Brazil, through interviews with five architectural design offices that are using these tools in different ways during the design project. The exploratory study was performed at three schools of excellent: University of Campinas, Brazil, Architectural Association in London, UK and Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal where the methodology employs parametric virtual modeling technology, giving evidence of changes in design teaching using the Digital Fabrication facilities. It concludes that the use of these technologies on design project teaching and practice a hanger the way of design, involving decision-making, simulation, design drawings, documents generation and collaboration between designers. However the academic research groups that use the technology for contemporary design conception and production do not represent the professional practice reality once they are using the BIM software on an isolated way given that complementary design offices don\'t have access to the same technology. (AU)