Gramazio Kohler Research

Immersion:
We are used to designing architecture from a supposedly objective perspective. With immersive technologies, we overcome this distance, expand our perception and immerse ourselves directly in the space to be designed. In doing so, we develop an altered understanding of space by digitally designing architecture and its construction while simultaneously moving within it.
In the immersive studio we will design in virtual space and assess the current project status regularly from a first-person perspective. We will work with the CAD software Rhinoceros and create our designs directly in 3D. Consistent work on the model ensures that the immersive experience of the project using virtual reality glasses is possible at any time and without additional effort.
We will not produce orthogonal representations of the project. We will generate plans and sections using horizontal and vertical section planes on the 3D model. This allows us to efficiently and interactively present abstractions necessary for understanding the spatial relationships.
The possibility to present the designs in the Immersive Design Lab using a room-filling projection and to immerse with VR goggles requires new forms of presentation, which we will explore together.

Program:
The project "Einhausung Schwamendingen" closes an urban scar in Zurich that has cut the neighborhood in two since the construction of the section of the A1L highway. The "Einhausung" with the Ueberlandpark planned on top of it will create new outdoor spaces and connections in the neighborhood. The goal of our semester is to design another level of use for the Ueberlandpark. The park is exposed, for shading heat-resistant plants and dry meadows as well as a pavilion are planned. In the current energy and climate crisis, using solar energy is becoming more and more important. We see the potential here to develop a large-scale wooden structure that, planked with shade-giving photo-voltaic, engages with the planned landscape.
As a construction material, wood is particularly suitable here due to its static performance combined with low weight. We will approach the design using parametric tools to systematically control the amount of different individual components. This alters the rules according to which we design architecture.

Credits:

Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich

Lehre Team: Fabio Gramazio, Matthias Kohler, Jonas Haldemann, Sarah Schneider, Thomas William Lee, Aleksandra Anna Apolinarska, Gonzalo Casas, Chen Kasirer

Studierende: Matteo Bianchi, Maximilian Bächli, Alexandra Calvet Bordas, Raphael Egli, Selina Frauenfelder, Michelle Kraus, Zeming Li, Vithursan Manoharan, Carl Petersen, Joel Springfeld, Alessia Venezia, Jintao Yang

Gäste: Matthias Krebs, Jacqueline Pauli, Matthias Vollmer, Martina Voser


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Gramazio Kohler Research Chair of Architecture and Digital Fabrication ETH Zürich HIB E 43 Stefano-Franscini Platz 1 / CH-8093 Zurich +41 44 633 49 06		Follow us on: Vimeo \| Instagram