BS724 NATURE-INFORMED COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN IN ARCHITECTURE
| Course Code: | 8540724 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (2.00 - 2.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | Building Science |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Prof.Dr. ARZU SORGUÇ |
| Offered Semester: | Fall and Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
This course introduces students to the foundations of nature-informed computational design within architecture. It aims to develop a critical understanding of interdisciplinary design approaches, focusing on how natural systems inspire contemporary computational practices. Students will explore the relationship between architecture and emerging fields such as digital fabrication, biomimetics, and artificial intelligence. By the end of the course, they will be able to formulate a design research project, apply computational tools to interpret natural data, and effectively present their work both visually and verbally.
Course Content
This is an experimental computational design research couese. This course outlines the basic knowledge on nature-informed computational design which is a rapidly developing approach not only in architecture but in many disciplines. In this course along with many well-known approaches, some of the significant examples will be studied in the context of data and act of modelling which are the state-of-art discussions of the computational design today. By conducting a hands-on project and providing a research paper on project, it is aimed to enable students to obtain not only the targeted knowledge and skills, but also the critical point of view to the field.
Course Learning Outcomes
The students are expected to acquire
- the knowledge on nature-informed architectural design methodology
- the understanding of newly developing multi/inter/trans -disciplinary research studies
- the skills to develop their own critical point of view on nature-informed design
- the perspective on the relationship between architecture and the other rapidly developing areas such as computational design, fabrication technologies, biomimetics, and even artificial intelligence
At the end of the course students will be able to:
- follow up state of art innovative design research focusing on the information retrieved from nature.
- develop their own approach to transfer information from a natural being into a portion of architecture
- use computational thinking approach on understanding and modeling various data in nature
- conduct modeling process via the computational design tools supports the act of information transfer
- design the process of a nature-informed research
- present their own approach visually and verbally.
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | To be able to implement the knowledge attained throughout the undergraduate education in building science related areas of education, practice, research-development-innovation and to be able to contribute to the developments in these areas | ✔ | |||
| 2 | To be able to define the technical topics and problems, analyze and bring proposals of solution regarding building materials, building physics, construction, construction management, conservation processes and the relationships of the environment and the nature | ✔ | |||
| 3 | To be able to gather and accumulate local and global professional knowledge (theoretical, technical and practical) on building related (building physics, materials, construction, construction details) topics | ✔ | |||
| 4 | To be able to interpret and analyze the information coming from different disciplines regarding buildings, and create new knowledge from them | ✔ | |||
| 5 | To be able to analyze, evaluate and provide solutions to a problem within an ethical framework and with scientific approach | ✔ | |||
| 6 | To be able to propose a research topic or study within an ethical framework, using scientific methods, and with a inter-disciplinary approach/point of view, and develop, evaluate, and run as a research proposal | ✔ | |||
| 7 | To be able to publish the developments and results regarding a research topic in national and international scientific media | ✔ | |||
| 8 | To be able to follow and grasp the new and contemporary technologies / advances in the field of building science | ✔ | |||
| 9 | To be able to follow and interpret the new and current technologies/developments regarding the field of building science | ✔ | |||
| 10 | To be able to have the consciousness of ethical liability in building related professions | ✔ | |||
| 11 | To be able to use the information and communication technologies in an advanced way in the processes of building construction, facilities management, and conservation processes; to be able to use, manage and share the attained knowledge by using these technologies | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution