In this area our research addresses three sub-areas: i) analysis and evaluation of the built environment; ii) design of the built environment; iii) fabrication with digital fabrication techniques.
On analysis and evaluation of the built environment we considering both the impact that buildings have on users and the building construction performance. How the build environment affects the way we live and the influence of architecture elements and environmental variables in the human behavior while exploring space is one of the areas of our research. Another area of analysis and evaluation of the built environment is related to the architecture heritage. In this area digital technologies are also applied with the aim of exploring new tools and technics for the diagnostic, survey, inventory and recording of building and sites.
On design systems our team is developing research on Building Information Modelling (BIM), facility management and shape grammars and applying it to several areas as housing design and educational spaces. This area has close ties with Augmented and Virtual Reality as we work on novel ways to visualize building information in immersive environments as well to procedural knowledge, genetic algorithms and interface design.
On fabrication our team research on the digital fabrication techniques enabled by the contemporary digital revolution. Digital data can now be transformed into material objects, namely by the further dissemination of digitally controlled production machines in FabLabs. 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC milling machines or robotic arms can produce objects based on rapid prototyping, tooling and manufacturing.
Additionally, participatory design allows the architect to work with local communities going through local association, gathering and developing ideas, creating meeting points with teams of different subjects with the aim of generating multidisciplinary projects.
In this context, combining the evaluation of the built environment, digital design processes, digital fabrication and participatory design processes enable new research scenarios. Such relations allow new modes of production and consumption resulting in a positive impact on the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability. This approach renders fast results in a context of scarcity, and can complement the participatory design, by personalizing the designs, adapting them to specific cases and generating an increasing flexible way to intervene.
Digital tools; Building Information Modelling; Facility management; Participation; Shape grammar; Implementations; Survey and diagnostic; Building Pathology; Construction and Conservation; Rehabilitation; Space perception; Space analysis; Emotions; Evaluation of the built environment; Objective measurements, Subjective measurements; Space Syntax; Analysis of flows; Future classroom; Learning innovation; Digital Fabrication; Robotic construction.
