Topic: Parametric Optimizations: Decoding Spaces and Places
Date: October 19 – 20, 2024
Time: 15:00 – 19:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (8 Hours)
Registration Deadline: October 18th, 2024
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: 105 EUR
Join free: with Full Access membership
Fee For Digital Members: 90 EUR (15% discount available only for Digital Members)
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: Stefano Bastia
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants afterward indefinitely.
Introduction to Parametric Optimizations:
The technological decade between 2010 and 2020 was mainly characterized by the global explosion of the Big Data phenomenon; the implications that this has on society are still ongoing and are the subject of numerous studies. The amount of data generated in that period has proven infinitely more significant than that created in the previous millennia. The quantity of “input” is constantly increasing. Thus, the level of complexity consequently increases. The information we gather from different situations are stimuli that actively influence the places we live in, determining their space, geometry, sociability, and beauty. We can and must use them to design more consciously.


The Scope of the Workshop:
This workshop aims to equip participants with skills to find and manage all these inputs (design data) for more conscious design. Through a series of software and plugins, we will be able to capture and channel them and consequently control them. The more information we have as input, the better and more precise the results will be, giving us more assets at our disposal and enhancing our ability to “solve” problems in a targeted way.
Methodology:
Through a series of example projects led by Stefano Bastia, we will trace a reverse path to understand how a project is conceived, from the initial analyses to improving its performance. Participants will individually learn to develop and manage a small project through a series of exercises using Rhinoceros, with the support of Grasshopper.


Objectives:
- This course will introduce participants to parametric, computational design, and sustainability principles.
- Enhance participants’ skills in Rhinoceros and acquire proficiency in Grasshopper 3D for analyzing and optimizing designs.
- Discover the practical applications of various Grasshopper plugins such as LadyBug, Galapagos, LunchBox, and others that will be announced.
- Explore the Grasshopper plugin’s capabilities in sustainability analysis, optimization, parametric facade design, and performance-driven design and how they can be applied in real-world projects.
Workshop Notes:
The workshop is designed for Grasshopper’s first-timers. This workshop will teach you a workflow that allows you to control projects while considering different locations’ specific characteristics and contexts.

Program:
Day 1:
- Introduction/Lecture: “Programming Form and Beauty: Complexity and Creation” (1 Hour)
- Intro to Grasshopper with SOA Architecture project examples
- How to manage data in Grasshopper (List management, Data matching, Tree data structure)
- Controlling the algorithm and Data manipulation
- Surface manipulation, panelization – Morphing
- Q&A
Day 2:
- Intro to Ladybug and Galapagos demonstrating practical examples from SOA Architecture projects
- Intro to Ladybug and Galapagos
- Parametric Facade: Pattern and Manipulation, then diving into Ladybug
- Optimization and analysis
- Q&A
Software:
Essential Plugins:
Students must have all the software installed before starting the workshop.


Instructor:
Stefano Bastia – Co-Founder of SOA Architecture
Stefano Bastia is an architect and computational designer with a keen interest in multidisciplinary design research. In 2020, he co-founded SOA Architecture with colleague Eurind Caka, following several years at Mario Cucinella Architects in Bologna after graduating in 2016. Stefano holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Architecture from the University of Bologna, where he was awarded the Giacomo Venturi Best Thesis Prize in 2017.
From 2020 to 2021, Stefano served as a module professor in Digital and Parametric design at SOS – School of Sustainability. In 2023, he delivered a lecture at Computational Design: NEXT, sponsored by ParametricArchitecture and Designmorphine. His lecture explored the intricate relationship between humans and machines throughout history, focusing on the emergence of big data, AI, and complexity from philosophical and social perspectives.
Stefano Bastia is particularly intrigued by the implications of these phenomena in everyday life, including their social and political ramifications. Starting from data is fundamental to his research, enabling the identification of real issues within specific contexts and approaching them with heightened awareness to find practical solutions.
“We Program Beauty” embodies a dynamic and empathetic relationship with technology, outlining a new creative process. Our approach to complexity and methodology defines our CREATION and personal MODUS OPERANDI.
Important Notes:
- The “Parametric Optimizations: Decoding Spaces and Places” Studio workshop by PAACADEMY will start at 15:00 (GMT) on Saturday, October 19th, 2024.
- Total sessions: 2 Sessions
- The teaching duration per session will be 4 hours.
- Students will have time for a break between teaching hours.
- Each session and the entire studio will be recorded, and videos will be available for participants just a day after the class for unlimited time.
- PAACADEMY will provide a certificate of attendance.
- The studio has limited seats. Tickets are non-transferable & non-refundable. Please read carefully before you register.
Topic: Parametric Optimizations: Decoding Spaces and Places
Date: October 19 – 20, 2024
Time: 15:00 – 19:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (8 Hours)
Registration Deadline: October 18th, 2024
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: 105 EUR
Fee For Digital Members: 90 EUR (15% discount available only for Digital Members)
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: Stefano Bastia
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants afterward indefinitely.
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