This projects tries to meaningfully explore the nature of optimization taking cues from the concept of growth. The assignment was calling for the development of the Almere Pampus, an area north-east of Amsterdam, an completely blank plot of land which would serve in reaching the goals of doubling up the population of Almere. The relatively [...]
Framing Optimization in Contemporary Architecture[1] Keywords: optimization, architecture, computational techniques I am in debt to the generous friends (Patrick, Matas, Gustavo) who shared their thought on the initial rather thoughtless rant which was the base for the following piece, as well as to Henriette Bier who guided and steered its manufacture. Thanks! Optimization, and the [...]
Project Team: Mariana Popescu, Mihaela Radescu, Ovidiu Stanciu, Dimitrie Stefanescu The competition’s assignment was calling for an iconic bridge over the Amstel river in front of the Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam. Out of a contextual analysis, we derived our priorities as being the expansion of the public space in front of the museum by speculating the most prominent local assets present [...]
PLAT 1.5 has just been released, and with it my critical essay entitled Algorithmic Abuse, which I’m sharing below. It’s a short attempt to raise awareness towards several gaps in computational architecture’s theory as well as practice. Please support the journal by purchasing a copy! A recurring concern among the practitioners and promoters of what [...]
Recently, I’ve been digging around in Constructal Theory, mainly because it provides a “predictive” framework for natural growth unifying – in a sense – physics and life. As it is now, constructal law theoretically accounts for all design phenomena in nature. It states that “For a finite-size system to persist in time (to live), it must evolve [...]
Recently I’ve tutored a Processing workshop for the Hyperbody department at the TU Delft. I’ve decided to share the sketches with the open world – who knows, maybe someone will find them useful. There’s quite a few variations included – clustering, attractors, collision avoidance, etc. Read below for the download link and some screens of [...]
Project team: Manuel Torres, Dimitrie Stefanescu Studio Leader: Sang Lee This is the final studio (Border Conditions) project for msc2. Though quite a lot of parametric techniques went into the making of it, they were subservient to rather than defining the project’s outcome. This project embodies a virtual study of the process of folding with [...]
Design/Organization: Dimitrie Stefanescu [improved.ro], Patrick Bedarf [a-ngine.com], Bogdan Hambasan [ASTA Cluj] Organization: ASTA Cluj Workshop Team: Ciprian Colda, Anamaria Androne, Razvan Sencu, Madalin Gheorghe Assembly: Bogdan Badila, Vlad Pop, Georgiana Hlihor, Denisa Lula, Robert Veber, Zoltan Vaida, Imre Vekove, Ciprian Colda, Mihai Pascalau, Calin Negret, Bogdan Borbei, Iustin Nechiti, Dan Ioanici, Razvan Luca, Stefan Grosariu, [...]
![Ornamatics [2/2]: W*Facade](http://improved.ro/wp/wp-content/uploads/improved//2011/05/wfacade8-150x150.jpg)
Course tutors: Jack Breen, Martijn Stellingwerff, Robert Nottrot Second part of the previous project, this time exploring the possibility of scaling up the same design process to the level of a facade design.
![Ornamatics [1/2]: W*Tile](http://improved.ro/wp/wp-content/uploads/improved//2011/05/wtile0-150x150.jpg)
Course tutors: Jack Breen, Martijn Stellingwerff, Robert Nottrot Project focused on the formal exploration of ornament and tiling, mainly based on the formal language derived from the wetgrid experiments. The projects explores the possibility of creating a structurally sound three dimensional lattice which can present multiple stacking and tiling possibilities. This results in several possible variations which [...]
COMP{M}UTATION: Parametric design workshop @ Faculty of Architecture, Brno (CZ) for architecture students, starring Patrick Bedarf, Dimitrie Stefanescu, Rhinoceros and Grasshopper. Thanks to Thomas for the invite! Check here for more information on registration (Czech only).
Paper written for the Fragile Conference. This is a rough draft, but comments are appreciated. PDF version. You can not reduce the city to merely the sum of its parts – its nature escapes the deterministic world we, until recently, thought we lived in and goes on to manifest itself in the realm of the [...]
The following article was written for arhiforum.ro in response to the CLJ02: Parametric Design Workshop. Click here for an unsanctioned translation in Romanian. A few weeks ago CLJ02, the second workshop centered around parametric design, happened in Cluj. Setting it alongside previous similar events in Bucharest and Iasi, we can clearly see an increasing attention being [...]
Team: Patrick Bedarf, Tomas Kozelsky & Dimitrie Stefanescu. This is our entry for the Evolo ”11 competition. Update: We seem to be among the finalists. I’ll leave you to judge for your own: you can see the winning projects on their website. It is a consciously speculative project in which our main goal was to push [...]
ASTA Cluj organizes a parametric design workshop with the aim of designing the actual lounge pavilion of the ZA event in Cluj, Romania. Tutors are Dimitrie Stefanescu and Patrick Bedarf. Organizers are Bogdan Hambasan and Anamaria Androne. Read below for registration and participation information.
Project Team: Patrick Bedarf, Dimitrie Stefanescu C:Strip is best described by an attempt to translate the environmental qualities of the proposed site into a meaningful architectural geometry that can accomodate and maximize the performance of an adaptive and fluctuating programme which focuses on producing and distributing information through the use of informal societal behaviour.
During the 15-17th of December I will be tutoring at the automatic architecture event at the TU Delft.
A symbolically critical pamphlet For the hip architectural public, there surely isn’t any need of introducing the (in)famous Voronoi diagram. If there is, then you probably shouldn’t be reading this text and you’re better off doing something else. Nevertheless, I find myself under increasing pressure to express my thoughts regarding what I find to be [...]
![[research] wetgrid 2!](http://improved.ro/wp/wp-content/uploads/improved//2010/10/5-150x150.jpg)
Revisiting the wetgrid grasshopper experiment, only this time in processing, done with real physics and tons more particles and detail. Here’s the Processing sketch (to make it work you’ll need peasycam and traerphysics) for your fair use. The grasshopper sketch to export the lines for processing is here. DO NOT FORGET to double click the [...]
DTAL is very pleased to announce a new workshop taking place at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism in Cluj during 17-20 May, which is very nicely timed with Neil Leach’s conference there (20 May). It all happens under the umberlla of the +/- Cluj Center of Architecture. Thanks to AStA Cluj for the invitation. [...]
(romanian only – yet) _cand: 23-26 Aprilie 2010 _unde: Universitatea de Arhitectura si Urbanism “Ion Mincu” _scop introducere in specificitatile proiectarii parametrice si in logica functionala a softwareului - Grasshopper +Rhino testarea unor tehnici parametrice pe baza unei teme date - suprafete parametrice reactive testarea si prototiparea la scara redusa a unor metode si tehnici dezvoltate - fabricatie digitala [...]
Keywords: fragmentation, cracking, violence, earthquake, identity crisis, culture. Initial explorations: Culture Cracking. Bucharest never had a coherent image in any point in history. Its only true comon denominator would be the highly despised disorder generated by the struggle between western rigor and local chaotic impulses. It is one city where conflict is strikingly out in the open, [...]
Exploring Bucharest and its intrinsic properties in our latest school assignment. Cultural Cracking. Collapse. Fragmentation. Earthquake. Crisis.
Latest school project: four star hotel in a not that nice area of Bucharest. Does what it says on the tin. What’s nice is that there are a lot of embedded parametrics inside: the canopy structural system, terrain modding (site), shape cracking of the canopy. Sometime ago there even was a def for controlling room [...]
