Living in Bozeman has many advantages, one of which is being in close proximity to a phenomenal architecture program. This past weekend the team from Live Architecture was in town to teach the local students on different ways to take digital designs and craft physical objects. This workshop in particular focused on using a CNC machine that MSU has on hand and working with a cardboard/honeycomb material called Gridcore.

A couple things I learned:

• Rhino This is becoming the premier program for designing nonlinear architecture ideas. The ability of Rhino to mold, bend, form, (whatever you want) for any surface is incredibly powerful. I learned a few tricks for creating ‘ribs’ out of a solid object and assembling them together later. While it doesn’t look like Rhino will overtake a program like Revit anytime soon, it is becoming the choice for creative digital work.
• BIM. This is where the industry is headed…the idea of modeling at a 1:1 scale and making it a part of the design process just makes sense. Renderings are poor substitutes, as our 3D fly-throughs. With the rapid-prototyping tools to make this physical transition getting better and faster, look for continued revolutions in the architecture world.

Monika, Shane, and Mariano were patient and helpful instructors. They have a very interesting idea on how to get students involved and pushing the limits on what can be designed using RhinoCAM. Check out their site: LaN | LIVE ARCH.NET for more info.

PS: Check out the March/April 2007 issue of I.D. magazine.  The “Design on the Cusp” section has a nice piece on Brooklyn’s Commonwealth that uses a CNC machine in a similar process to get some interesting pieces.

Design on the Cusp: The Artists Doth Protest
Lang/Baumann’s spaces may resemble real interiors, but they’re something else entirely.
by Diane Vadino