About Grasshopper Masterclass: Parametric Facade Generator
This workshop teaches you how to build a complete parametric facade generator in Grasshopper to design, optimize, and automate complex architectural facade systems.
Architectural facades have become one of the defining features of contemporary buildings. Beyond shaping a project's visual identity, they must also satisfy structural, environmental, functional, and financial requirements. As buildings become more complex, designing façade systems requires architects to balance aesthetics, performance, and constructability while managing countless interconnected design decisions.
A parametric workflow offers an efficient solution by replacing manual modeling with a reusable algorithm capable of generating a digital twin of the façade. Instead of creating a single design, you will build a flexible parametric system that can generate a wide range of façade variations with adjustable parameters. Through real architectural case studies, you will learn how to translate façade details into algorithms that automate geometry creation while enabling rapid design exploration and consistent project documentation.
In this workshop, you will build a complete Parametric Facade Generator from scratch using Grasshopper. You will learn practical techniques for creating panel systems, controlling façade patterns, generating architectural details, and organizing clean, scalable Grasshopper definitions. Alongside detailed 3D façade geometry, you will also generate optimized mesh models for visualization and automatically export CSV data containing panel information, material quantities, and cost estimates.
By the end of the workshop, you will have a production-ready parametric design tool that can be adapted to future projects. The computational design techniques covered throughout the workshop extend beyond façade design and can be applied to a wide range of architectural and engineering workflows.
This workshop teaches you how to build a complete parametric facade generator in Grasshopper to design, optimize, and automate complex architectural facade systems. Architectural facades have become one of the defining features of contemporary buildings. Beyond shaping a project's visual identity, they must also satisfy structural, environmental, functional, and financial requirements. As buildings become more complex, designing façade systems requires architects to balance aesthetics,...
What you will learn
01
Creative algorithmic thinking and problem solving
02
Building robust Grasshopper definitions
03
Debugging complex algorithms in Grasshopper
04
Working with geometric transformations
05
Optimizing algorithms for performance
06
Attaching metadata to generated geometry
07
Automating repetitive workflows such as baking thousands of facade elements
Methodology
In this workshop, we will focus on developing parametric models in Grasshopper and organizing a large number of highly detailed façade elements in Rhino. This includes explaining many useful tips, tricks, and techniques for both Grasshopper and Rhino workflows. For example, we will cover data tree management, geometric transformations, reusable algorithms, attaching metadata to geometry, optimizing mesh geometry, and many other useful computational design techniques in Grasshopper. In Rhino, you will learn how to automatically bake and organize thousands of façade blocks generated by your algorithm.
All of these parametric techniques will be demonstrated through real-world façade projects, allowing you to understand not only how the algorithms work, but also how they can be applied in professional architectural practice.
The workshop is intended for architects, designers, engineers, and students who already have a basic understanding of Rhino and Grasshopper and would like to improve their computational design skills.
Scope:
The workshop will combine theoretical explanations, step-by-step demonstrations, and practical exercises. Each part will begin with a short introduction to the main design problem and the Grasshopper techniques that will be used to solve it. After that, the complete workflow will be demonstrated through a real-world facade example.
The workshop will follow a gradual learning process. We will begin by defining the main façade parameters and studying the input geometry and architectural drawings. The next steps will include creating panel systems, generating detailed façade elements, and attaching relevant metadata to the geometry.
The complete facade generator will be divided into smaller, clearly organized parts. This will allow students to understand each part of the algorithm separately before combining everything into a complete parametric system. Particular attention will be given to building clean, scalable, and efficient Grasshopper definitions that can manage a large number of façade elements.
Students will follow the demonstrations and complete practical exercises individually. During the workshop, they will be encouraged to test different parameters, explore design variations, and adapt the demonstrated workflow to their own ideas.
Program:
Day 1: Building the Parametric Facade System
Study façade details and define key design parameters.
Create adjustable panel grids and surface subdivision systems.
Learn data tree management for organizing façade components.
Generate parametric panels, frames, openings, and supporting elements.
Build a clean, scalable Grasshopper definition from scratch.
Day 2: Optimization, Automation & Documentation
Develop detailed façade elements, including mullions, joints, and corner conditions.
Optimize Grasshopper definitions and create lightweight mesh geometry for visualization.
Attach metadata, generate panel IDs, and calculate quantities and cost data.
Export structured façade information to CSV files.
Automatically bake and organize façade elements in Rhino using layers, blocks, and object attributes.
In this workshop, we will focus on developing parametric models in Grasshopper and organizing a large number of highly detailed façade elements in Rhino. This includes explaining many useful tips, tricks, and techniques for both Grasshopper and Rhino workflows. For example, we will cover data tree management, geometric transformations, reusable algorithms, attaching metadata to geometry, optimizing mesh geometry, and many other useful computational design techniques in Grasshopper. In Rhino,...
Knowledge Requirements
What you should already know or have ready before you start, experience, tools, and any baseline skills the instructors expect. Scan the list below so nothing catches you off guard.
Please note that the software installation process is not part of the workshop. Participants are expected to have Rhino 8 and Grasshopper installed before the workshop begins.
The required Grasshopper plugins are Human and Graphic Statics 3D (3DGS).
Ognjen Graovac is an architect and computational designer from Belgrade who loves blending design, technology, and creative problem-solving. He completed both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade, where he first got into parametric and computational design.
That curiosity quickly pushed him toward object-oriented programming and creating digital tools and workflows to expand architects’ ability to design complex and precise shapes.
A year later, Ognjen founded Algorithmic Architecture, a small studio focused on solving geometric challenges in complex architectural forms and automating the creation of precise, large-scale 3D models for the building industry. Through his work, he has contributed to both small and large projects, including major developments such as Madison Square Garden in Las Vegas.
Ognjen is also an active member of the open-source community. He develops free Grasshopper plugins such as 3D Graphic Statics and Spider 3D. The 3D Graphic Statics plugin alone includes over 100 components and has been downloaded more than 11,000 times worldwide. He has also won several awards in architectural competitions, including a first-place prize for a pedestrian bridge over the Danube River in Novi Sad.
