Thesis Projects
Encoding Timber-to-Timber Connections: Structurally Aware Element Interactions in Solid Timber Joinery
This thesis modernizes wood-to-wood joinery in timber construction, leveraging computational tools and CNC technology to classify joint properties, integrate them into the COMPAS Timber package, and optimize structural performance and assembly processes, culminating in a demonstration project.
Student: Panayiotis Papacharalambous
Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Oliver Bucklin
Human-Robot Interface for an On-Site Mobile Plastering Robot: Use Case for Digital Repair
This thesis develops a human-machine interface for controlling a mobile plastering robot, enabling seamless workflows and user-friendly operation for masonry wall rehabilitation, with a focus on surface finishing through digital fabrication and validated by user studies and prototype tests.
Students: Amir-Ali Amini-Aghdam, Joana Francisco Tomaz
Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Selen Ercan Jenny, Eliott Sounigo
Form Follows Fields: An Adaptive Geometric Representation Utilizing a Multi-Field Integrative Workflow
This thesis develops a computational framework for field-driven design, integrating simulation data such as radiation and acoustics into geometric workflows using custom Python scripts and scalar fields, enabling adaptable and data-informed architectural solutions.
Student: Namdev Talluru
Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Mathias Bernhard, Dominik Reisach
Acoustically Optimized Meeting Spaces
This thesis develops a computational workflow for designing meeting pods with optimized room acoustics, integrating early-stage acoustic simulations to refine geometry and surface qualities, culminating in physical prototypes and a final demonstrator.
Student: Giacomo Montiani
Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Achilleas Xydis, Matthias Helmreich
ornanet: cGAN-Based Ornament Predictions for 3D Concrete Printing
This thesis develops ornanet, a machine learning framework leveraging conditional Generative Adversarial Networks (cGAN) to predict ornamentation in 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP), enhancing simulation accuracy, reducing computational demands, and enabling real-time design decision-making.
Student: Paul Jaeggi
Thesis Supervisors: Ana Anton, CheWei Lin
Multi-Criteria Design and Optimization of Living Photosynthetic Bio-Cementation Process
This thesis explores scaling up the bio-fabrication of photosynthetic bio-cemented structures using cyanobacteria, developing a multi-criteria optimization framework to integrate design, structural, and biological factors for sustainable construction systems.
Students: Hamid Peiro, Sukhdevsinh Parmar
Thesis Supervisors: Andrea Ling, Prof. Kam-Ming Mark Tam, Nijat Mahamaliyev
Design Strategies for Microbial Biocement Structures: Bio-Inspired Optimization for Increased Surface Area in 3D-Printed Biocement
This thesis investigates the optimization of 3D-printed microbial biocement structures, focusing on enhancing surface area, printability, and scalability to architectural scales through bio-inspired design strategies and geometrical iteration.
Students: Kai-Hsun Yeh, Kevin Seav
Thesis Supervisors: Karen A. Antorveza Paez, Shuyi Huang
3D-RXR: Robotic-Stacking to XR Assemblies
This thesis introduces 3D-RXR, an XR application integrating head-mounted displays for efficient assembly of complex prefabricated rebar structures, combining robotic stacking and spatial visualization to maintain the digital design knowledge chain and enhance precision, time efficiency, and user interaction.
Student: Megi Sinani
Thesis Supervisors: Inés Ariza
Enhancing Adaptable Bending-Active Design and Assembly Workflow with MoCap and XR
This thesis develops a bidirectional workflow incorporating motion capture and extended reality (XR) technologies to enable real-time adjustments in the digital model during the fabrication of bending-active bamboo structures, enhancing flexibility, user experience, and assembly efficiency.
Students: Chia-Hsuan Chao, Wataru Nomura
Thesis Supervisor: Alexandra Moisi
The Alchemist: Crafting Plastic Waste into Bespoke Building Components
This thesis explores the use of recycled plastics, such as TPO and PET, in 3D-printed facade systems, combining material characterization, computational design, and additive manufacturing to demonstrate sustainable architectural applications.
Student: Benhur Baiju
Thesis Supervisors: Francesco Milano, Eftekhar Olivo Nik, Valeria Piccioni
Immersive Architectural Storytelling: Exposing Complexity in Digitally Fabricated Structures Through Web-Based Interfaces
This thesis explores the potential of Web-XR technology for creating immersive storytelling in architectural contexts, aiming to enhance understanding of complex digital fabrication processes and develop a cross-platform Web-XR framework for architectural applications.
Student: Jiaxiang Luo
Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Inés Ariza, Dr. Petrus Aejmelaeus-Lindström, Ananya Kango
Rock Printing _ Revisited
This thesis advances the closed mould direct deposition method for jammed architectural structures, exploring string reinforcement, aggregate self-aggregation, and structural integrity through computational workflows, culminating in designs to be exhibited at Materials Acts: Experimentation in Architecture and Design in Los Angeles.
Student: Gonzalo A. Seminario
Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Petrus Aejmelaeus-Lindström, Carl Pantos-Conquilla