Engineering Vision Grant Submittal

Founded in 2003, the Graduate Program in Product-Architecture and Engineering at Stevens is a

pioneering interdisciplinary design program integrating the study of mechanical engineering, architecture

and computer science with advanced production methodologies and emerging materials. Comprised of

Mechanical Engineers, Industrial Designers, Architects, Mathematicians and Computer Scientists, the

program overcomes longstanding deficiencies in design education by creating a distinctive fusion of design

culture, technology and research. The curriculum focuses on intense and creative collaborations between

designers, engineers, scientists and manufacturers through applied research on real projects with the

most progressive design and engineering offices in New York City, Los Angeles and London.

This upstart graduate degree program, which resides in Stevens’ Mechanical Engineering Department,

offers a two-year, 30 credit Masters Degree in Product-Architecture and Engineering as well as a 12 credit

Graduate Certificate in Product-Architecture and Engineering.

The curriculum; a sequential assemblage of technical content, research and collaborative design projects,

culminates with a final design thesis. Quite often, the intellectual content of the thesis work forms the

basis for subsequent and continued collaboration with established design and engineering firms.

Subsequently, prospective graduates of this program have entered these practices at far more advanced

levels than those coming from extremely reputable MArch and MEng programs as their abilities and

interdisciplinary exposure more poignantly represent the future of design education in general.

Program Overview: Curriculum

The first semester establishes the core of the curriculum while also serving as the fundamental base for all

design research by focusing on the object oriented CATIA modeling platform. Here, students are

introduced through CATIA concepts in object oriented data, conditional design and parametric

methodologies. Predetermined design performance criteria are established for each design project while

predetermined formal solutions are discouraged. Students are taught to put aside traditional design

concepts in lieu of a rule based approach to form generation and component based assembly.

During this initial term, students are concurrently studying concepts in mechanics of solids (FEM) and

environmental analysis (CFD).

▪ The Rapidly Deployable Kayak by first year student, David Wight (mechanical engineer),

exemplifies our ability to develop complex parametric assembly models utilizing CATIA’s Kinematic Module

as a critical and integral part of the design process. Integrating initial fluid analysis of hull forms, the

student developed a design table of a repeatable and adaptable kit of parts, generating a complex

kinematic structure from a minimal amount of individual parts.

Parametric Modeling – Kinematics Module

Fig.1 assembly model - contracted Figs.2 - 5 assembly model - expansion

Fig.12 exploded assembly model: ASHRAE values

▪ The Najarian Residence, a built residential prototype by first year student, Leanne Muscarella

(mathematician), in conjunction with nastasi architects of Hoboken, NJ, shows the program’s interest in

using CATIA for the development of residential prototypes integrating mass-customization methodologies.

Here, a full assembly model was constructed for each building system. Coordination with both structural

(FEM) and environmental (CFD) analysis, concurrently studied in other courses, enabled a robust control

over surface curvature, eccentrically loaded structural cantilevers and ASHRAE environmental performance

ratings.

An initial surface model was developed with the desired surface curvature, torque and cantilever. Research

into CNC bending for the primary steel frame was utilized to fabricate a curved wireframe geometry (Fig

6). Restrictive client budget considerations limited all “advanced” manufacturing techniques to this

primary frame, limiting the bending of members to only seven individual steel units (structural tubes and

I-Beams).

The assembly model (Fig.7,8,10) was subsequently completed incorporating affordable off the shelf

lightweight metal framing and standard prefabricated aluminum storefront systems. All furniture, interior

partitions and mechanical systems have been integrated into the base parametric model.

A second prototype is being developed for a site in Dallas and will be completed by the end of 2007.

Fig.6 structural wireframe Fig.8 lightweight roof framing (infill)

(infill)wireframe

Fig.7 infill lightweight framing

Parametric Modeling – Mass Customization

Fig.9 completed prototype (exterior)

Fig.10 assembly model

Fig.11 completed prototype (interior)

The second semester introduces coursework in CATIA’s Knowledgeware and Visual Basic Scripting

capabilities. Here, advanced replication strategies are researched in conjunction with well researched

advanced manufacturing methods. Concurrent coursework in Visual Basic Programming and Digital

fabrication empower the students with an increasing digital design tool box.

▪ Apse-traction, an addition to a Church in Hoboken, NJ, by first year student, Leanne Muscarella

(mathematician), in collaboration with nastasi architects, illustrates the students’ fluency in advanced

replication (mass-customization) in the control and integration of surface bending with structural steel

manufacturing and structural composite printing. A primary steel structural frame was developed within

the performance limits of local CNC bending manufacturers. Steel tubular columns were post rationalized

using multiple but planar bending geometry, allowing the steel frame to be configured using traditional

bending processes.

The development of a structural collar (Fig.15 inset), via the user feature module, allowed the student to

instantiate 150 unique geometric conditions from a single CATIA part model. Structurally analyzed using

CATIA’s FEM module, direct bronze three-dimensional prints were executed at “Pro-Metal” of Pittsburgh,

PA, utilizing proprietary droplet technology.

Advanced Replication – Integrated Manufacturing Methodologies

Fig.15 Detail: Structural Printed Bracket Fig 14: Completed Assembly Model Fig.13 Detail: Assembly

▪ The Rector Street Pedestrian Bridge by first year student, Jonatan Schumacher (industrial

engineer), illustrates our exploration into CATIA’s integrated Visual Basic scripting capabilities.

Working in collaboration with Davood Liaghat of Buro Happold’s Bridge Division in the UK, the students

analyzed the inefficiencies of static design methodologies and offered more robust and rule-based

developmental strategies for alternative pedestrian bridge prototypes.

Here, multiple design configurations and variations were developed through the identification of a series of

pre-determined global parameters and associative scripted operations. Complex and exuberant geometric

and structural solutions were generated yet anchored to each site at critical and contextual locations.

Visual Basic Scripting

Fig.16 Scripted Bridge Assembly in Site Fig.17 Scripted Bridge Assembly

The third semester builds on the processes established in first year by introducing students to advanced

concepts in object oriented data and interoperability methods. Utilizing CATIA as a data repository,

students concurrently work in associative analysis and computational platforms (SPEOS, MatLab and

Ecotect) and develop digital linkages into CATIA by open source .net platforms and externally embedded

spreadsheet data.

Concurrent coursework in numerical design optimization and object oriented programming support this

design research.

▪ The Smithsonian Roof, by second year student, Alexandra Shull (architecture and

structural engineering), integrates plate theory structural analysis and numerical design optimization.

Compiled outside the CATIA environment, VB scripts were developed to concurrently test and pass data

between the three design platforms until the optimized results of the objective functions were satisfied.

The student’s interest in the integration of both poetic (expressive) and numerical (optimized) form was

the inspiration for this thesis work.

Interoperability: Numerical Design Optimization

Fig.18 Auto-generated Smithsonian Roof Structure Fig.19 Structural Analysis: Matlab

The fourth semester continues building on the processes developed in the prior three semesters by

directing the focus of design research to the development and authorship of radical design processes.

Expanding the palette and context of external data, lighting simulation and computational tools were

researched and utilized in conjunction with the development of genetic algorithms to integrate seamless

and concurrent design performance analysis with CATIA. This advanced and experimental interoperability

establishes new paradigms in collaborative design processes.

▪ The Ali Al-Sabah Project in Kuwait, by second year students Josh Cotton (computer

science), Charlie Portelli (architect) and Keith Besserud (architect), in collaboration with the architectural

firm of Skidmore Owings and Merrill, explores multiple and optimized configurations of concrete apertures

in a new military complex being constructed in Kuwait.

Generic Algorithms were developed as an auto-generative device searching optimized configurations of

rule-based concrete wall apertures. Satisfying pre-determined optical design criteria provided by the

Architect, the students developed a complex kit of interconnected digital design platforms. Here, four

distinct platforms; CATIA, Visual Basic, Excell and Speos, co-exist in real time offering new paradigms into

the contemporary and fluid virtual desktop.

Again, serving as the repository for now optimized data, the final configurations were parametrically

nested in clustered configurations with the CATIA environment. More predictable methods of Computer

Aided Manufacturing were utilized in the prototyping phases.

Interoperability: Environmental Analysis / Genetic Algorithms

Fig.20 Ali Al-Sabah Wall Aperture Fig.21 Concurrent Platforms: VB, SPEOS, CATIA, Excell

The interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Product-Architecture and Engineering at Stevens Institute of

Technology is pioneering digital design research at multiple scales (products/structures/systems) across

multiple fields. Founded in 2003, the program’s focus is in the authorship of radical processes in design

and engineering by forming unique digital linkages with multiple design platforms. Students are exposed

to a myriad of digital design and analysis tools throughout their two-years of coursework. This, in turn,

requires critical research into the integration of information management and communication with digital

and physical manifestations of data. A contemporary issue in today’s design and engineering office,

research collaboration with leading design and engineering firms has become a logical and critical area of

focus for this program.

Serving as the repository of this robust data, and at the core of this body of research, is the CATIA

platform; establishing the catalytic seed from which all design research is built. Establishing fluency in the

robust object oriented modeling platform is critical to the work in the first year curriculum. However,

CATIA’s ability to seamlessly integrate external analysis and computational platforms fostering digital and

collaborative bridges between different research areas in the profession, has lead to the pioneering

authorship of nascent processes.

This interdisciplinary research in design and engineering has advanced the work of our collaborators:

Gehry Technologies, Buro Happold Engineers, SHoP Architects, Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Chuck

Hoberman Designs, KBAS Architects, and most recently, Morphosis. At Stevens, we feel that

The Graduate Program in Product-Architecture and Engineering at Stevens offers a new model in

interdisciplinary design education and fosters methodologies that in turn, will enable the next generation

of design leaders.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit this proposal and we look forward to a favorable response.

Sincerely,

John Nastasi, Founding Director

Graduate Program in Product-Architecture and Engineering

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Stevens Institute of Technology

Summary