Generative Design Studio
DEA3306/6406
Offered in spring semesters
In the Generative Design Studio, students develop and apply AI-aided design tools as a means to express their ingenuity, skills, and competencies in the creation of a unique product. We focus on the design opportunities enabled by human–technology partnerships using cutting-edge computational resources. Topics include essential mathematics for computational design, shape grammar, digital fabrication tools, design optimization tools, and generative design theory. Students will work in teams to design and develop a generative system that can work in conjunction with a human (a designer or non-designer) to create a product that is not achievable by a human or a computer working alone.
Ambient Intelligent Environment
DEA 3500/ 6520
Offered in fall semesters
This course explores the human aspects of ambient conditions in indoor environments, with an emphasis on understanding key concepts and measurement techniques. We study factors that affect the quality of the indoor spaces in which we live and work, such as thermal conditions, ventilation, and air quality, lighting, and acoustics. We also investigate how recent transformations in technology have influenced the design of the ambient environment, including the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) paradigm and its opportunities for designing ambitious concepts such as smart-homes. With a specific focus on the brain–environment interaction, we design, fabricate and test a prototype by which we can control aspects of the ambient conditions in the indoor environment.
Studies in Design Thinking
DEA 6100
Offered in spring semesters
This course explores design thinking strategies at the intersections of creativity, science, and engineering. In parallel with the chronological development of new media and tools in design, associated theories and concepts have evolved in ways that exhibit both continuities and changes from previously accepted paradigms. In this course, we investigate how recent transformations in technology have influenced design thinking as well as how design thinking has influenced new media and tools. Students learn about the creative strategies that today’s designers use to address complex problems, and they apply intuition, imagination, and reasoning to produce innovative design solutions. The course includes active learning experiences during class time. Within a workshop setting, we design things – material and immaterial – while learning about new tools and researching interdisciplinary design problems.