PJ Dick Innovation Fund Teaching Grant: 48-482/48-682: Advanced Structural Design - Computational Explorations
48-482/48-682: Advanced Structural Design - Computational Explorations
Juney Lee, T. David Fitz-Gibbon Assistant Professor of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon Architecture
Course offered beginning Fall 2025 (offered every fall, unless otherwise noted) | 16-20 students
The support for this elective course will provide support for research exploring the transformative potential of extended reality (XR) technology in revolutionizing the interactive design and teaching process of three-dimensional (3D) architectural structures. The project aims to bridge the gap between traditional digital design methodologies that are constrained to two-dimensional (2D) interfaces and the fully immersive spatial capabilities offered by XR.
Traditional 2D sketching of structures that rely on pencil and paper have limitations when transitioning to complex 3D design spaces. Even in a digital environment, sketching in 3D is still confined to flat computer screens, where the user’s ability to navigate and control the complex spatial design environment is limited by keyboard inputs and mouse clicks.
Through XR technology, this project proposes to enable users to physically step into their design environments and interact with digital objects that respond to gravity in real time and scale. By using physical movement of the eyes and the body as spatial design tools, this immersive experience enables architects to design complex 3D structures, experiment with various materials, and manipulate structures with instant feedback and visualization.
The expected outcome of this project is an applet that has the potential to revolutionize how 3D structures are conceived, visualized and understood in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. Beyond practical applications, the applet also opens avenues for further research on experimental ways of teaching and learning structures in academia, promising a gradual paradigm shift in how 3D structures and spaces are envisioned, designed and realized. This applet will be used as one of the primary design and teaching tools for this course.
Image: Juney Lee.
About the Project Lead
T. David Fitz-Gibbon Assistant Professor of Architecture & Regenerative Structures Laboratory Director
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Established in 2023 by PJ Dick Trumbull Lindy Group, the Faculty Grants Program will award a total of $400,000 over four years beginning in 2024. The program supports faculty research and teaching innovations that address the School’s three pedagogical challenges of climate change, social justice and artificial intelligence. The proposals were assessed on their impact in furthering a faculty member’s research and teaching, their contribution to interrogating the School’s challenges, and their viability to garner further research support, make an impact on the discipline and expand the pedagogy of the School.