Teaching The Architects of Tomorrow: Studio Mode

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Utilizing the latest in CNC technology, Studio Mode examines the materials, tools and procedures of craft with the goal of shedding new light into the field of architecture. Instructors Ronnie Parsons and Gil Akos teach future architects and engineers at the Pratt School of Undergraduate Architecture in Brooklyn, NY.

They recently exhibited several projects using Precision Board Plus HDU at the Intersections Exhibition held at the New York City College of Technology. The exhibition was a symposium on the topic of leading edge technology and design.

Studio Mode projects are very research oriented, and often require lots of material in order for students to experiment and test design ideas in the digital crafting field. Because of this, Coastal Enterprises donated pallets of Precision Board Plus and students have used it for several projects. Using , students create their own tool paths instead of using generic models. Precision Board Plus is then machined to create digitally-fabricated prototypes for display at the Intersections Exhibition.

Studio Mode is a design studio and research collective committed to design as a form of applied research. Case studies and examinations of different materials and processes by which they are formed are a large part of the research performed by Studio Mode. The evolution and contextualization of these procedures in a broader social and cultural domain is the primary objective and means for bringing interest and significance to design. Students who graduate from Studio Mode typically move into architecture and industrial design careers. More info can be seen on Studio Mode’s website at studiomode.nu.

New CNC Technology – Partnering Craftsmanship and Manufacturing

Instructors Ronnie Parsons and Gil Akos, at the Pratt Institute School of Undergraduate Architecture, are teaching students about new CNC technology. Specifically, they are addressing the difference between craftsmanship and manufacturing, with the goal of partnering them together. The former being the “workmanship of risk,” and the latter the “workmanship of certainty.”

The goal of the course is to shed new light in the field of architecture by examining the materials, tools and procedures of craft in relation to contemporary means of fabrication such as CNC production.

For the pictures in this post, students created their own tool paths instead of using generic models. RhinoCAM was used to create digitally-fabricated prototypes, which were then machined using Precision Board Plus PBLT-15.

Check out Ronnie and Gil’s website, Studio Mode for more information!

Additional pictures can be viewed here.