Name: Structural Evolution
Price: 125.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.00 (3 reviews)

Nolan Kim

Verified Account

2 courses5.0

About Structural Evolution

With the advent of 3D printing came newfound structural forms. The uniform shapes of commonplace products are now ripped open and given internal appendages. We now look past the bounds of an object’s perimeter and peer into its interior volume. What was then solid is now empty space transfigured into assemblies of geometric linkages and architectural patterns.Throughout the last decade, the evolution of highly-functional parametric structures has found a niche within innovations in footwear. Programmable behavior, data-driven transformation, and customizable arrangements are developed guided by the demands of marathon trails and fashion runways.By investigating these structural forms alongside their respective footwear applications, this workshop aims to present students with a focused approach to parametric design techniques – directing attention first to intended functionality and then to high-level manipulation.

With the advent of 3D printing came newfound structural forms. The uniform shapes of commonplace products are now ripped open and given internal appendages. We now look past the bounds of an object’s perimeter and peer into its interior volume. What was then solid is now empty space transfigured into assemblies of geometric linkages and architectural patterns.Throughout the last decade, the evolution of highly-functional parametric structures has found a niche within innovations in footwear....

What you will learn

Parametric Design Techniques: Gain hands-on experience in creating parametric structures using Rhino and Grasshopper, focusing on functionality and manipulation.
Structural Families Exploration: Understand the anatomy and applications of four key structural families: Auxetics, beam-based lattices, triply periodic minimal surfaces, and Voronoi structures.
Case Studies Analysis: Learn from real-world examples in the footwear industry, including projects from New Balance, Adidas, Puma, and Formlabs, to contextualize parametric design.
Advanced Construction Methods: Discover region-specific control, customized formulas, and data integration to enhance your parametric modeling capabilities.
Real-World Application: Develop a comprehensive approach to parametric structure creation, embedding technical skills within the context of innovative footwear designs.

Methodology

Students will continually transition between industry case studies of a structural form and parametric modeling using Rhino and Grasshopper. In this way, contextual understanding will always predicate technique. The Structural Evolution workshop will expose students to four structural families:

-Auxetics

-Beam based lattices

-Triply periodic minimal surfaces

-Voronoi structures

The first and most important step is establishing the essential building blocks of each structure’s anatomy.

After that, the program will build upon these principles to showcase advanced methods of construction in the form of region-specific control, customized formulas, and data integration.The design process will be taught step-by-step from scratch with the participants, allowing each individual to have hands-on experience with the software and freely ask questions.

The best lessons are learned through stories. The Structural Evolution workshop will journey through the last decade of initiatives implementing parametric structures into footwear.

Participants will learn of the early New Balance and Nervous Systems experiments that explored pressure map-influenced Voronoi cells and analyze the universally known beam-based structures utilized by the Adidas 4D Futurecraft. The program will investigate the research of auxetic patterns undertaken by the MIT Media Lab in collaboration with Puma and the study of minimal surfaces led by Onur Gun’s team in partnership with Formlabs.

The goal is to discuss the intention of these projects, extract the framework of their structures, and ultimately build these geometries as a parametric workflow within Rhino/Grasshopper.

By the end of this workshop, students will have developed a robust approach to building a wide variety of parametric structures. The main objective is to embed all technical learnings within the context of real-world applications.

Regarding technique, participants will grasp the three main phases of structural design: organizing substructures, generating geometry, and advanced manipulation.Regarding context, the program will examine the timeline of major developments in parametric footwear and assess the approaches and considerations of each milestone.

Students will continually transition between industry case studies of a structural form and parametric modeling using Rhino and Grasshopper. In this way, contextual understanding will always predicate technique. The Structural Evolution workshop will expose students to four structural families: -Auxetics -Beam based lattices -Triply periodic minimal surfaces -Voronoi structures The first and most important step is establishing the essential building blocks of each structure’s anatomy. After...

Course Content

8 Lessons

Important Notes

Total sessions: 2 Sessions
PAACADEMY will provide a certificate of attendance.

Software & tools

Highlights

Student projects

Conceptual sneaker design

@pedro.romero.oceguera

Structural Evolution

Project

Conceptual sneaker design

Dec 1, 2024

About this work

A conceptual sneaker design inspired by the incredible possibilities of parametric design and insights from a workshop that explored its innovative applications...

Grasshopper 3D Rhinoceros 3D

pedro Structural Evolution

View project

Instructors

Nolan Kim

2 Courses5.0

Nolan Kim is a computational designer who will deliver his explorations in highly-functional parametric structures and additive manufacturing. Drawing from nature and procedural patterns, his work explores how complex geometries can re-imagine commonplace products. Beyond appealing aesthetics, his projects encourage the discovery of heightened function within the interplay between efficient material usage and conscious structural forms. Much of his early work investigated the correlation between 3D-printed geometries and long-distance running performance. He went on to head many of the computational design projects at Desktop Metal, leveraging his knowledge of parametric structures and access to a wide array of additive manufacturing resources to develop applications for automotive components, sports products, industrial tools, and interior designs.

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Reviews

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5.0avg3 Reviews

3 Comments

Sandro Bretthauer

Great insights! Feeling kind a next level jumping from BREPS to Distance Fields. Enjoyed this very much! Sandro

Apr 15, 2026

IGOR JESUS

Awesome!!

Oct 21, 2025

pedro

This course was fantastic! It opened my eyes to the transformative power of parametric design in footwear, combining technical insights with creative exploration. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to push the limits of product design!

Dec 1, 2024