Day 15 (Part 03) - Center for Information Technology and Architecture
Copenhagen, Denmark
Paul Nicholas | Associate Professor | Center for Information Technology and Architecture
Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (KADK)
-
My third and final meeting of the day lead me away from the Danish countryside and towards the revitalised precinct of Fabrikmestervej, a lively neighbourhood populated with adaptively reused navy shelters some of which now housing the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (KADK) and associated innovation lab, the Center for Information Technology and Architecture (CITA).
I am here to discuss the academic investigations of future architectural practice with Paul Nicholas thanks to an online introduction by Arup engineer Sean Lineham. Paul is an Australian-come-Danish Resident who leads CITA; a research faculty within KADK with a focus on digital workflows, simulation, data-driven design, and material science, all of which remain grounded via the fundamental in-house process of physical modelling and making.
During my short time in Copenhagen it has become observantly apparent that richness in design permeates its way through the city fabric in a dominant way. I was interested in Paul’s opinion on this observation and of what the drivers may be within the Danish context that make this abundance of quality unique to that of other geographical contexts. Just to scratch the surface within the short time and number of topics eager to be covered during our meeting, Paul offered an explanation that in Denmark there are many instances where the cheapest design solution doesn’t tend to be the preferred or most valuable approach for developers. Instead he suggested that rather it is the most robust schemes that make their way through to built resolutions.
This concept of robustness translates clearly into the interrogative workings of CITA’s researchers and their alignment with architectural practice. To gain robustness a scheme requires testing. Deliberate, intentional, and unbiased testing. The premise of this brief discussion provided a wonderful conclusion on many of the points hit on earlier in the day, and begins to cast a perspective of the value that making available time and collaboration leads to succinct resolutions of multi-parties’ interests and needs.
Paul kindly took me through some of CITA’s prominent and ongoing research fields for the remainder of our chat. It was mind-blowing stuff. And honestly, one of the most stand-out elements of the approach to education and research within the Center is the clear emphasis on the link between material properties and design ambitions. Combining experimentations with new material sciences open opportunities for new design outcomes, and inversely those preliminary design ambitions extend to the further pushing and development of material capabilities. Watching the linked CITA showreel will provide some quality stimulation for your eye-balls, and a stand-out example of those themes expressed above are encapsulated within the PCM Facade project; a Phase Change Material facade prototype that reacts differently due to varying temporal environments, leading the way for truely environmentally adaptive applications of facade design and passive sustainable outcomes. As the researchers at CITA employ computational tools to first study viability digitally and then transition to the constructible prototypes physically, they are paving a way for future designers - both fresh graduates and industry veterans - to approach architecture in a way of relevance in a progressing world.
If you are interested in checking out more of Paul’s research, CITA projects, and post-graduate opportunities please hit the link here.
