Handbook

This course introduces students to Parametric Design and Digital Fabrication, with emphasis on the direct
relationship between Mathematics and Geometry, and how these two fields constitute the foundations of
any parametric design process.
Students will progressively gain skills in the creation of adaptable models using Grasshopper and will be
able to explore the advantages of a flexible design compared with a rigid model done in Rhinoceros. The
connection between the software and the plugin will be explained in depth, demonstrating that an efficient
combination of both usually leads to a more effective solution.
The rationalisation of complex geometries for fabrication is essential for the manufacture of objects,
installations, façades and structures, and must be taken into account from the conceptual design and 3D
modelling stage to project documentation.
Based on the concepts learned in the lectures and through the development of the proposed collection of
exercises in the tutorials, students will learn how to transform a complex surface into a series of buildable
and connectable elements. The digital models will be then translated into physical prototypes, allowing the
students to evaluate their designs empirically, exploring and working with different digital fabrication
techniques, construction systems, and materials.