An Exploration into Biomimicry and Application in Parametric Design | FARC142 Introduction to Design Technology

Design Technology is the study, design, development, application, implementation, and management of computer and non-computer based technologies for the express purpose of communicating product design intent and constructability.

Introduction to Design Technology course (FARC142) for first year students where in the fall semester 2019-2020 used practice work as an instrument in making real and vital theoretical instruction. Through this different pedagogic intention, students are introduced to “biomimicry" and “parametric thinking". 

Semester sessions for the course included presentations, discussions and hands-on activities. After detailed lecture(s), firtst year students were asked to use the method to perform a design task based on parametric design principles and inspired by elements from nature. The experimental approach enabled students to leave behind shallow beautifications and instead experience undertaking parametric design without the use of software packages.

Figure  1. collage of created proposals by students

The light-weight structure pavilion for the department of architecture at EMU is the attempt of these first year students who worked in collaboration with peers. Many alternatives developed and due to recycle material availability, time management and relativity to  capability of first year students in making big models,one of them have chosen and taken further for installation preparation.

Figure  2. Installation activity by students 

The installation has completed within five hours by the active participation of more than 80 Farc students under the supervision of 4 course instructors(Asst.Prof.Dr. Badiossadat Hassanpour; Dr. Aminreza Iranmanesh, senior instructor Sevil Aydinlik, and Senior instructor Cafer Zafer Volkan and 3 teaching assistants(Hasan Dogan,Serife Hikmet and Angela Hartsell). Active participation was crucial part of this installation and one of the major objectives. students scored their efforts by writing their names to the used elements on the structure.

Accordingly 160 recycled cylinders(collected from left overs of offset printing services), and 300-meter fishnet string have been used and students scored their efforts by writing their names to the used elements on the structure.