Fall 2024
UC Berkeley, ARCH 150, Introduction to Structural Design, https://classes.berkeley.edu/content/2024-fall-arch-150-001-lec-001
Structural design is fundamental to how we build. Structural principles and material behavior determine the shape of our built environment, and their knowledge is essential for every future architect. In the current climate crisis, it is more essential than ever before to challenge and limit the use of some of the largest green-house gas emitters of our planet: construction materials. How can we build more efficiently and create buildings where lower material use and architectural expression go together?
Spring 2025
UC Berkeley, ARCH 259, Artificial intelligence and generative design methods for sustainable buildings, TBD
Accommodating predicted population growth and urbanization within the UN Climate Goals poses a significant challenge for disciplines that engage with the built environment. High-performing buildings of the future should offer spatial quality for their users while utilizing resources as efficiently as possible for both construction and operation. This class will examine the potential of co-designing buildings with new types of generative design methods and geometric algorithms, and how they can help us design more sustainable building systems across scales. We will use quantitative tools from data and computer science and apply them to a design context. The goal of the class is to develop a deep understanding of contemporary digital design methods and how they can be applied to the design of residential buildings that use less materials to be built or less energy to be operated. Case studies and use cases will range from experimental structures to public housing.