Material Parametrics is a two-day intensive design and prototyping workshop (with an optional third day) to be held in New York City during the weekend of September 25.

Description:
Over the course of two(+) days participants will examine the cultural as well as technological domains of associative practices within architecture and its related fields. Participants will iteratively develop parametric assemblies with an emphasis placed on material prototyping as a vehicle for design innovation.

The format of the workshop includes daily instructional, design, and fabrication sessions and will be conducted in a fast-paced and hands-on studio environment. Participants will have direct access to digital fabrication equipment, including an industrial CNC 3-axis Mill and CNC High-Force Cutter. An optional third workshop day is offered to those participants desiring further time to develop and prototype individual projects.

As part of a larger online infrastructure, modeLab, this workshop provides participants with continued support and knowledge to draw upon for future learning.

Attendance will be limited to provide each participant maximum dedicated time with instructors.

modeLab is graciously supported by the following sponsors:

Details:

Instructors | Ronnie Parsons + Gil Akos | Partners, Studio Mode.
All experience levels are welcome.
All participants are required to bring their own laptops. Trial software will be made available.
Registration Pricing (limited enrollment) : $550/$650.
Workshop Location :  modeLab | NYC.
Workshop Hours : 10AM-6PM.
Examples of Previous Workshops.

Infrastructure:
modeLab Workbook | Printed + PDF Documentation
modeLab Exercises | Annotated Pre- and Post-Exercise GHX Files
modeLab Primers | Annotated Primer GHX Files
modeLab Strategies | Annotated Parametric Strategy GHX Files
modeLab Utilities | Custom Parametric Design Workflow Utility GHX Files
modeLab ModeTools | Custom Plug-In Add-On GHA Files
modeLab Fabrication Equipment |  CNC 3-Axis Mill + High-Force Cutter

Topics:
Parametric Design Logics
Computational Geometry
Modularity + Recombination
Pressures + Influencers
Interoperability + Digital Fabrication

Dates:
2010.August.27 | Workshop Announced + Registration Opens.
2010.September.20 | Registration Closes.
2010.September.25 | Workshop Begins.
2010.September.27 | Optional Workshop Session.

To register for the workshop, please complete payment through the button below.

Registration Options

2Days $550.00 3Days $650.00

To receive more information, please complete this form.

Any questions can be sent directly to info@studiomode.nu.

The Business of Aura exhibition curated by Kelsey Harrington includes painting, drawing, photography, sculptural prototypes, and installation. The show examines the potential of studio processes to produce aura, and focuses on qualities of material richness, surface tactility, striking geometry, animate form, and light.

Artists & architecturally trained designers at Elga Wimmer Gallery include – Helen Brough, Elizabeth Cooper, Cmmnwlth (Zoe Coombes & David Boira)-in collaboration with Timothy Saccenti, Kelsey Harrington, Lauren Luloff, Jon Meyer, Matthew Schreiber, Steve Orlando, Yuka Otani, Devin Powers, Snarkitecture, SOFTlab, Studio Mode, and yo_cy (Christine Yogiaman & Ken Tracy).

Elga Wimmer Gallery

526 West 26th St. #310 NYC

August 12 – September 18, 2010

Closing reception Friday September 10, 6:00-8:00pm

Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 12-6pm

With the Hylozoic Ground project, Philip Beesley is demonstrating how buildings in the future might move, and even feel and think. In a series of installations that have attracted global attention, Beesley is leading a group of experts from science and art in creating a uniquely Canadian experimental architecture. Beesley is a professor at the School of Architecture, University of Waterloo and is principal of the Toronto design collectivePBAI. Accomplishments in the last three decades include numerous public buildings, sculpture, and landscape installations.

Beesley’s work is widely published and exhibited. Projects this past year have included installations in Madrid, Linz, Enschede, Brussels, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and most recently at the COP15 Copenhagen climate summit. Beesley has given keynote presentations across Canada and in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Linz. His work has also appeared in Barcelona, Beijing, Tokyo, and Taipei and has been featured in WIRED and MARK magazine and journals including the covers of LEONARDO and ARTIFICIAL LIFE.

[uto] has updated their excellent Mesh Analysis and Utility Components. Check out the following link for access to some truly remarkable tools.

version 1004
Updates :: MeshWeld: threshold value for vertices + 2 new Components: AddAttribute / ExtractAttribtue

Download geco_1.0.11 (for gh v7)

Release is Compatible With:
GH07.xxxx
Autodesk Ecotect2010/2011
Rhino4 SR8
Rhino5 32/64bi

Geco was developed by Ursula Frick and Thomas Grabner @ [uto], based in Innsbruck, Austria.

Images courtesy of [uto].

We are pleased to be working with Marius Watz on some CNC drawings using the KNK-MAXX 24 here in our studio. The work is off to a very interesting start and we are looking forward to future development.

Thanks to Marius for the awesome photo!

More information about the many things that Marius Watz is up to can be found at the following links:

http://www.generatorx.no/

http://www.unlekker.net/

http://workshop.evolutionzone.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/watz/

The Klic-N-Kuts are top-of-the line digital die cutters with 950g of cutting force and up to 600mm/sec cutting speed. These machines can cut everything from vinyl to rhinestone rubber, from paper to chipboard, from thin cotton fabric to stiffened felt.  Each machine comes with KNK Studio.

This machine has been used extensively in our studio with excellent results. Check out the following links to see images of our KNK-MAXX24 in-action, as well as some of the fabrication possibilities made possible by this awesome machine.

For more information (and to buy one!) browse to the Klic-N-Kut Website.

Machine Specifications:

Check out the following two links for featured articles on our most recent workshop, Material Intelligence.

Many thanks to Michael at Aesthetechtonik and Rodrigo at DesignPlaygrounds for the posts.

The research network investigates how new digital production methods are instigating profound changes in the design and building of architecture. Developing the term digital crafting, the network examines how the maturing of interfaces between the design space of the architect and the production space of the manufacturer is leading to the shaping of a new material practice in architecture. The research network is supported by The Danish Council for Independent Research, Humanities.

Studio Mode | modeLab is pleased to be a supporter of this initiative and looking forward to future participation. More information can be found at the following link. Keep an eye out for the symposium this fall at CITA.

Jason K. Johnson and Andy Payne are very excited to unveil the new home for all things Firefly! Come find out the latest features, tutorials, photos, videos and much more at http://www.fireflyexperiments.com. We are encouraged by the growing community of Firefly users and this website will be the destination for those individuals looking to bridge the gap between Grasshopper (a free plug-in for Rhino), the Arduino micro-controller, the internet, and beyond.

In addition to the public launch of their new website, they have also released a new Firefly Toolbar (version 1.003) and an updated Firefly Primer. They have fixed a few minor bugs and added a few new features that were requested by you – the users. A delay feature has been added to both Fader (one way and two way) components and the Data Log component has been completely re-written to enable greater flexibility. Users can now simulate “Live Looping” techniques by using the Wrap feature on the Data Log component which also allows for direct data streaming to a file path of your choosing (.txt, .csv, or .dat). Additionally, we have built a new Playback component which will return individual lines from a text file at a given frame rate(s). The ability to control multiple frame rates will allow you to create some really amazing effects.

If that wasn’t enough, there is a new Firefly Primer (a 37 page manual) which provides an in-depth look at each individual component and walks you through the entire process of using this powerful new tool-set (from installation to final output). It also includes some basic tutorials, links and references to get you up and running quickly.

Come join the Firefly community and find out what everyone is talking about. Visit http://www.fireflyexperiments.com. If you have suggestions or if you just have a question, feel free to email them at info@fireflyexperiments.com.