Non-Standard Parametric Surface Design and Fabrication: In Search of New Forms and Morphologies in Teaching Digital Design

Parametric tools in design are becoming more popular and available through the easy learning curve one needs to go to understand its basics. Although it is totally another field and it raises a question – how to implement the parametric knowledge into the workflow of a classical architectural designing approach. It is a new paradigm in architecture, and it involves to have both theoretical and practical knowledge to succeed, as well as rethinking the way we present these concepts at university level education of architecture.
The parametric surface design and fabrication exercise was carried out in University of Monterrey, Mexico in the class of Morphology taught to the first year students of architecture. It explored the actual parametric design, materialization and fabrication, detail proliferation as well as intermediate level of conceptualization in research of CAD/CAM workflow integration to architectonical design.