# Stone Architecture – Studio Giuseppe Fallacara > The Stone Architecture course aims to show the unexpressed potential of structural stone and digital stereotomy for contemporary architecture. ## At a glance - Format: On-demand course - Price: €500.00 (list €625.00) - Difficulty: Beginner - Duration: 6 + 1 Sessions (28 Hours) - Schedule: Mar 24 & May 19, 2022 - Instructors: Giuseppe Fallacara, Maurizio Barberio, Ilaria Cavaliere, Dario Costantino - Categories: Architectural Design, 3D Modeling, Structural Analysis, Visualization - Software: Grasshopper 3D, Rhinoceros 3D, Twinmotion - Students: 20 - Rating: 5.0 / 5 - Canonical: https://paacademy.com/course/stone-architecture-studio-giuseppe-fallacara - Enroll: https://paacademy.com/course/stone-architecture-studio-giuseppe-fallacara --- ## About this course Stone Architecture, led by Studio Giuseppe Fallacara on PAACADEMY, is an applied workshop that explores the potential of structural stone and digital stereotomy in contemporary architecture. Participants use Grasshopper 3D, Rhinoceros 3D, and Twinmotion to design parametric vaulted spaces, conduct research into stone structures and geometric lattice models, and produce projects presented through video and VR applications. The course concludes with a jury presentation and instructor critiques. ## What you'll learn - Parametric Design Skills: Learn to design vaulted spaces and stereotomic architecture using Grasshopper 3D and Rhinoceros 3D. - Research Techniques: Conduct in-depth studies on stone structures, their properties, and geometrical lattice models. - Visualization Techniques: Master advanced visualization methods, including video and VR applications, to effectively present architectural projects. - Collaborative Project Work: Engage in teamwork to produce comprehensive design projects, fostering group dynamics and task distribution. - Historical Context: Gain insights into the historical evolution of stereotomic architecture, enhancing your understanding of its contemporary applications. ## Methodology During the course, students will learn how to design vaulted spaces and stereotomic architecture with parametric design and computational tools. They will be able to present their projects in highly visualized formats by using the visualization techniques taught during the course. This is an applied workshop. We will learn through involvement, so expect homework! You will work in groups of 3 to distribute the tasks and produce a complete project. Every student will need to keep a portfolio and produce videos of their work towards the final presentation. Each group will have 10 minutes to present their work on jury day. What we look forward to in your projects is: - Research into stone structures and their characteristics - Research into geometrical 2d and 3d lattices, model making - Implementing first research into a parametric model using the given tools - Informing models with reality - Implementing learnings from the software and visualisations in your projects - Final presentations + Crits from instructors and invited juries The whole course will be divided into three parts: the first part deals with a historical introduction and evolution of stereotomic architecture; the second part is related to the three-dimensional parametric/variational modeling techniques of complex vaulted spaces; the last part is about visualization and production of pictures, videos, and VR applications to present a project. Students will be guided through the design process of a stereotomic project during the course, which will be modeled, rendered, and optimized for VR. **Week 1** 0.5-hour long introduction + 1.5 hours long lecture + 2 hour Rhino GH/3D Studio lab intro **Week 2** 1-hour long lecture + 1-hour Rhino GH/3D Studio Class + 2 hours design studio and live reviews **Week 3** 2 hours Rhino GH Class + 2 hours design studio and live reviews **Week 4** 2 hours Rhino GH Class + 2 hours design studio and live reviews **Week 5** 2 hours Twinmotion Class + 2 hours design studio and live reviews **Week 6** 2 hours Twinmotion Class + 2 hours design studio and live reviews **Week 7** 4 hours of final presentations ## Requirements Rhinoceros 7.0. The 90-day trial version can be downloaded from the website. Autodesk 3D Studio. The 1-year educational version can be downloaded from the Autodesk website. Twinmotion. The free academic version can be downloaded from their website. Grasshopper add-ons: - Ngon - Mesh+ - LunchBox - Pufferfish - Weaverbird - Leopard - Mesh Edit ## Curriculum ### Session 1 - Intro (24:35) - Part 1 (01:29:23) - Part 2 (31:41) - Part 3 (13:42) - Part 4 (01:02:01) ### Session 2 - Intro (04:06) - Part 1 (01:44:08) - Part 2 (01:06:54) ### Session 3 - Part 1 (01:12:23) - Part 2 (02:11:11) ### Session 4 - Intro (05:26) - Part 1 (02:02:10) - Part 2 (01:46:18) ### Session 5 - Intro (03:03) - Part 1 (43:49) - Part 2 (02:07:54) - Part 3 (01:16:28) ## FAQ ### What Grasshopper plugins are used for parametric stone vault and stereotomic design? This course uses a specific set of Grasshopper add-ons suited to mesh-based and complex geometric modeling for stereotomic architecture: Ngon, Mesh+, LunchBox, Pufferfish, Weaverbird, Leopard, and Mesh Edit. These plugins extend Rhinoceros and Grasshopper's native capabilities to support the kind of intricate geometric lattice structures, vaulted surface subdivision, and fabrication-oriented mesh logic that digital stereotomy requires. ### What does the Stone Architecture course at PAACADEMY cover? The course is divided into three parts. The first introduces the historical evolution of stereotomic architecture and stone structural systems. The second covers parametric and variational 3D modeling of complex vaulted spaces using Grasshopper and Rhinoceros, including research into stone properties and geometric lattice models. The third focuses on visualization, covering production of images, animated videos, and VR applications using Twinmotion, with all work presented to instructors and an invited jury on final presentation day. ### What software experience do I need for the Stone Architecture course? Participants should have Rhinoceros 7.0 installed before the course begins. The 90-day trial version is available from the Rhinoceros website. Autodesk 3D Studio and Twinmotion are also required, both available as free educational or academic versions. The required Grasshopper add-ons (Ngon, Mesh+, LunchBox, Pufferfish, Weaverbird, Leopard, and Mesh Edit) should be installed in advance. Some familiarity with Rhino and Grasshopper is expected given the parametric modeling depth of the course. ### What will I produce in the Stone Architecture course at PAACADEMY? Participants will produce a complete stereotomic design project developed in groups of three, covering research into stone structures and geometric lattices, a parametric model built in Grasshopper and Rhinoceros, and a final presentation including rendered images, an animated video, and a VR application developed in Twinmotion. Each student will also maintain a personal portfolio throughout the course. Projects are presented to instructors and invited jury members on final presentation day.