Design Fabrication

This course investigates the creative repurposing and reconfiguration of found and discarded timber cut-offs (design) as material stock for digitally fabricated laminate wood structures (fabrication). Leveraging computational design tools – AI, parametric design software, and more – students explore novel economic models that are smaller, more sustainable, and circular.

Working individually to design, iterate and test solutions, and collectively to prototype full-scale mock-ups, students combine emerging technologies with historic precedents. Specifically, the course references late second-millennium AD English wood construction, where a dwindling timber supply – decimated by deforestation – led to the construction of castles from scrap wood.

The course balances scientific rigor with artistic experimentation, asking students to prototype new material and structural techniques. This hands-on class equips students with practical skills and a deeper understanding of resourceful, sustainable design within today’s technological landscape.