About me: Working on this thesis project has been a very challenging and rewarding experience as I was able to step out of my comfort zone and explore computational design in architecture which was something I had not done before. Throughout the year I learned how to automate parts of my workflow and how to code my own tools for design and data simulation, leading to the development of an interactive tool that can change our projects design output through personal judgement and inputs.
The thesis project: I collaborated with Chi Zhang in my 6th year thesis project and our project was based on a potential future scenario in which we explored the issues of gentrification and increase in carbon emissions due to urban redevelopment during the not-so-distant 2050s. With East Manchester as our site location, our spatial strategies and design aims for tackling these issues were incorporating affordable social housing with amenities to achieve a future city that has higher environmental, economic and social equality and sustainability for its residents.
The whole project is split into three phases: Studio 1 focusing on defining our future scenario and setting up the foundations for our computational tool through computational design experiments using hybrid typologies. Studio 2 in which we developed the computational tool following 6 distinct steps which were in turn composed of 4 different parts that we used by the end of the phase to generate design iterations at an urban scale and collecting output performance data. And finally, Studio 3 in which we chose one neighbourhood out of the total six within out site to zoom in and develop our detailed architectural design resolution and urban and block scales. Our outcome was an interactive digital environment created using Unreal Engine that can be used to communicate our design and performance criteria visually and clearly.
