This workshop explores bottom-up design-to-fabrication workflows in Rhino and Grasshopper for pavilion-scale structures.
This workshop provides insight into practical design-to-fabrication workflows in Rhino and Grasshopper for the development of small-scale architectural structures. The course is grounded in a bottom-up design approach, in which design emerges from the material system, fabrication methods, and their inherent limitations, rather than treating fabrication as something to be addressed after the design is complete.
During the sessions, we will move from initial design concepts to fabrication-ready outputs and architectural visualisations. Rhino and Grasshopper will be used in parallel for 3D modelling, parametric and algorithmic design, and the preparation of geometry for fabrication and assembly.
The course will conclude with a session on AI-assisted rendering using ComfyUI (a free, open-source, node-based interface for generative AI) and Flux AI models.
This workshop will be centred on pavilion-scale structures, as they offer enough complexity to address form, materiality, fabrication, and assembly within a manageable two-day format. Although the main examples are pavilions, the same methods can also be applied to canopies, installations, lightweight enclosures, and interior interventions.
A series of studies will be used to demonstrate different approaches to developing a project through material systems and methods of making.
Rather than following one fixed design path, these examples will show how the process can shift in response to material behaviour, production constraints, assembly logic, and the type of system being developed.
This workshop will also address different ways of organising geometry, components, and part-to-whole relationships as the design evolves.
By the end of the workshop, each participant will develop an individual pavilion-scale proposal, taking it from an initial design concept to a complete, fabrication-aware design supported by rendered images.
The course will be taught as a step-by-step demonstration of a complete workflow. Participants will follow the development of a project from an initial design idea, through the definition of its overall geometry and design direction, to parametric control, technical refinement, and visual output.
Sessions will combine live demonstrations, structured walkthroughs, and individual project development. The material will be taught as one continuous process, moving from early design studies and geometric development to fabrication preparation and rendering.
Participants will first follow the demonstrated examples and workflows, then apply the methods introduced during the course to develop their own proposal.
Day 1
Day 2
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