Fail Fast & Fail Often: Agile Design Strategies and
Rapid Deployment (DfM&A)
May 2022 - Ongoing, Co-Principal
Delving into the forefront of architectural innovation, our research effort is exploring the introduction of Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DfM&A) and the impact it has on housing. This transformative methodology holds the key to reshaping the paradigm of affordable housing, a potential future where construction processes are optimized and prefabricated components are leveraged to drive down costs and construction timelines. Through meticulous planning and simulation within NIVIDA's OmniVerse, our research teams utilizes the computing power to collectively navigate the intricate dynamics between factory production and on-site assembly, to design new housing models and unlocking a realm of possibilities for architects. Topics of manufacturing units within a factory setting, as well as, construction onsite were studied and mapped out logistically in OmniVerse, to better understand and visualize the critical connections between factory and site, and the role an architect can perform. The research was co-developed with research student assistants and co-principal Richard Sarrach, and is a joint effort between ITL & CES, in hopes of bringing forth expertise in design, technology, and experimental structures.
Co-Principals
Prof. Ajmal Aqtash, Associate Director - The Center for Experimental Structures
Prof. Richard Sarrach, Director - Interdisciplinary Technology Lab
Prof. Sebastian Misiurek, Product Manager - NIVIDA Omniverse
Design Research Teams:
Group 01: Geri Roa Kim, Kelvin Hu
Group 02: Emilio Elechicon, Maxwell Wolfe, Shani Zana
Group 03: Emily Guan, (Ethan) Yi Sheng Peng, Wei Wang
Group 04: Eial Rosenstock-Levy, Lucien Mount, Martin Restrepo
Group 05: Judy Liu, Meg Christensen
Group 06: Aladin Lalicic, Sara Su, Derek Duran
Fail Fast & Fail Often: Agile Design Strategies and Rapid Deployment
The design - research effort is a joint venture between The Center for Experimental Structures and Interdisciplinary Technology Lab within the Pratt Institute - School of Architecture.
The design research studio prompts the students to engage the impact of Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DfM&A) as a construction strategy for the redevelopment of NYCHA Housing sites, with a focus on: how can we rapidly deploy through a series of simulated phasing - a thriving residential community with all of its necessary support programs. The Groups featured are responsible for designing a tower is composed of 300 - 600 residential units, replacing the existing NYCHA residential tower the is there currently, while leveraging the use of offsite construction of Prefinished-Prefabricated-Volumetric Construction (PPVC) modular for the Residential Unit Types. Additionally, each group is responsible for developing & designing the base podium of their respective tower with an Educational, Food/Market, Recreation/Health, Entertainment, Work Space)- connecting the proposed buildings into one master plan at the ground level. The site for the residential towers are located at the Farragut Housing - Brooklyn, across from where the production facilities are located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Continuing the research & development from the previous studio, the research teams have been developing their proposals, leveraging Omniverse, to simulate digital twins of their proposed buildings. > The studio is supported by NIVIDA & ITL, both of whom have been very generous with software and hardware access - which has made it possible for us to explore the linkages between offsite manufacturing & onsite construction, and potentially the collaborating work flows to ultimately shape buildings & spaces at scale, and reshape the professional practice. Ultimately, the goal of the research effort is to leverage Omniverse and its computing power to visualize a potential future for affordable housing & community building while negotiating the linkages between the factory and site, with multiple teams working in the same digital environment simultaneously.
Co-Principals
Prof. Ajmal Aqtash, Associate Director - The Center for Experimental Structures
Prof. Richard Sarrach, Director - Interdisciplinary Technology LabLucy Zakharova, Consultant - Pratt Institute Alumni
Design Research Teams:
Park Your Civic: Sinan Basaran + Valeria Bardi Cohen + Ye Hu Hwang
Piece of Cake: Tron Le + Mackenzie McCrane + Celic Ruiz
Destination>Ukraine: Calvin Lia + Esther Sonnenschine + Vivian Sun + Ziyang Xiong
In Bloom: Nathan Alegria + Asa Brandyberry + Victoria Choe
DO-I-DO?: Yuwei Chen + Maria Matos Gutierrez + Yun Yi Luo
Fail Fast & Fail Often: Agile Design Strategies and Rapid Deployment
The design - research effort is a joint venture between The Center for Experimental Structures and Interdisciplinary Technology Lab within the Pratt Institute - School of Architecture.
The premise of the research effort is to explore emergency relief housing for Ukrainians impacted by the Russian invasion. We begin by exploring the use of existing 40-foot-long shipping containers as a housing module to investigate the potential transformation / modification that needs to occur to establish the basic fundamental programmatic needs of housing a displaced population impacted by conflict. Due to uncertainty, the development established a more extensive communal array of units to formalize necessary amenities to support growth needs over time - with the assumption that potential stay can go on for multiple years. > The development of emergency, transportable, and temporary housing requires a specific set of DfMA workflows that address unique design and construction challenges. These soft & hard tools could apply the types of pressures needed to prototype the units at a rapid speed and address the immediate needs of relief housing around the world. Additionally, these units are some of the smallest produced for housing. They must accommodate a variety of functional criterias for mobility that often seems in conflict with the spatial requirements for housing. Extra attention was directed towards the relationship between expedient deployment and the fundamental spatial needs of displaced populations, specifically women & children, by projecting a series of cultural and technological forces that shapes the space of domesticity and the polemics of geo-politcs. > Lastly, the design research effort was interested in understanding the roles of designers and manufacturers to better define and respond to the demands of an emergency environment, such as Ukraine, with quality relief housing being paramount. Conducting research, documentation, representation, and drawing will be the primary focus. At the same time, prototypes in physical models and mocks-up will be scaled up within the Interdisciplinary Technology Lab. Through the generous support of sponsors, the cost of materials, 3D printing, cnc milling, and digital cutting was made available to the team. The material practice will be a focal point in discovering and resolving ideal tactile conditions of the interiors while shedding light on the tectonic systems and assembly processes.