Beyond design, detail, print : the Tech Futures Lab design-build studio

Abstract

This article describes an assignment that enabled students to undertake a design-and-build project. The educational facility, Tech Futures Lab, acted as client for which an interior was designed and fabricated using rapid learning process. In architectural design, 3D modelling software is becoming more readily available in fabrication activities. If the software used dictates the design, it can lead to the oversimplification of a rational, well thought-out design process. This article describes how students created ‘iterative prototypes’, and how this experience facilitated abilities to translate virtual designs into real-world constructs. Using a hybrid of digital and conventional making methods, the paper describes a modern studio, where students can actively participate in how making and design are taught.