Excitement came back with the second year of Hong Kong University’s Architecture Faculty’s Summer design workshop.

As far as what I’ve heard, we would be doing a 1 to 1 scale fabrication this year, which would be a much more exciting exercise for all.

Teaching staff  include Yan Gao (Director), Olivier Ottevaere (Director), Paul Mui and Jaenes Bong from Aedas and myself. Although there might be more.

I realized some students who came last year to the workshop, coming back to HKU’s M.Arch programme this year. Perhaps we have successfully portrayed a rather positive computational atmosphere here and I hope they are finding this interesting.

After a year working in a private firm, R&D on component based architecture with CNC machinery, I think I have more to show and more to share this year. Exactly what, I cant tell. But definitely more on how the digital can be translated to the reality and how to manage such digital project that is larger then a scaled model.

The official application deadline is over, we have nice mix of applicants from all over Asia, Europe and US. It should be fun to watch the chemistry happening with the group based design exercise they are about to experience. The challenge should be to compete their design ideas against other teams to win the honor of realizing their design in 1 to 1.

I’m not sure if there are still a seats for the last minute applicant, I hope there will.

http://fac.arch.hku.hk/summer/hk/dp/index.htm

For a successful architectural project, the efficiency of design communication and the control of information-flow are as important as the creativity of ideas. In response to the concurrent digital evolution emerging in the architectural industry world-wide, the Department of Architecture at The University of Hong Kong will host a two week intensive summer program named Digital Practice.

Led by professors from The University of Hong Kong, as well as invited practitioners with expertise in practice of cutting edge digital techniques, the program offers participants opportunities to experience applications of computational tools during different stages of an architectural project, i.e. concept design, form finding and optimization, delivery, management and communication of design information under the team-based working environment. By learning advanced computational techniques through case studies in the context of Hong Kong, participants are expected to go beyond the conventional perception of technology, considering users and tools as a feedback-based entity instead of a dichotomy. The program, which is taught in English, includes a series of evening lectures related delivered by teaching staff and invited local architects.

一個高品質的建築專案，除創意之外，有效的設計資訊管理和信息交流在項目設計和實施的過程中扮演著重要的角色。今天，數位化技術不但改變了建築師的繪圖工具，影響了設計的過程，還提高了工程建造和管理實施的效率。針對建築數位化的演進，香港大學建築學系將於2012年暑假期間舉辦 “數位化實踐” 國際研習班。
在香港大學建築學系教授及擁有豐富實踐經驗的外聘建築師的指導下，學員將有機會體驗專案設計的各個階段(如概念設計、設計形式的生成、優化、設計資訊的管理和交流)，學習如何應用各種運算智能化技術 (從設計的數位化生成和建築資訊類比到物理模型) 提升設計實施的品質和設計團隊控制方案的能力。我們將挑戰對“技術”的傳統認知，它不僅是使用者的工具，更是與使用者互動的媒介，二者形成一個有機的合體。

本課程以英語授課。課程期間會舉行講座系列，展示數位化技術如何被廣泛應用於實際工程中。