DesignMorphine MSc. Project Arcadia.
My final project for the MSc in Computational and Advanced Design. A deep exploration of parametric architecture.
The project
Project Arcadia is my final project for the MSc in Computational and Advanced Design. It explores parametric architecture that responds to its environment, with the form found through computational methods rather than drawn by hand.
The parametric structure
Process
It started with research into responsive architectural systems: structures that adapt to the conditions around them, and the computational tools that make that possible.
Early research and concept work
Exploring the parameter space
The framework
I built the framework in Grasshopper with custom Python components. Parameters adjust in real time, and the form optimises itself against environmental data.
The framework and its parameter relationships
Iterations
The design went through several rounds, each one refining how form and environmental response relate to each other.
First iteration, basic parametric relationships
Refining the environmental response
Optimisation and performance testing
Development process and iterative design exploration
The final design
The final structure holds up as architecture, not just as a computational exercise. And it stays responsive to the environment it sits in.
Render of the final structure
Project video
The final project presentation, covering the full design process
The toolset
Parametric modeling
Grasshopper for visual programming
Environmental analysis
Climate data feeding the responsive behaviour
Form optimisation
Python scripting for performance-based design
Visualisation
Rendering pipeline for the final presentation
What it taught me
How to balance computational complexity with design intent. And that parametric tools aren't just efficient, they're a creative medium in their own right.