I will recently graduat with a B.Arch degree and I am interested in pursuing further research in computational design. However, I am unsure whether I should choose a master program with a stronger computer science or a stronger architecture, although both of them are under architecture department.
On one hand, I feel that a strong computer science program would provide me with the technical skills and knowledge necessary to excel in computational design. On the other hand, I also want to deepen my understanding of architecture and design, so a program with a stronger architecture program may be more valuable to me.
I was wondering if anyone here has any experience or advice on choosing a program for computational design. Are there specific programs or schools that are particularly well-suited for this field? Should I prioritize a strong computer science program or a strong architecture program?
I am also interested in exploring possible positions for computational design. What are some career paths for someone with a background in architecture and expertise in computational design? Are there any specific industries or companies that are particularly well-suited for this field?
Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!
gual
Apr 24, 23 12:30 pm
The big schools for this imo are all in Europe. Stuttgart, ETH Zurich, etc. Maybe the AA programs if you are more into the design side of things. Look at what the people do at those schools and try to find out where they are working now to get an idea.
It isn't a career path with a typical roadmap so it's hard to suggest one program over another. People come from all sorts of backgrounds and have varying levels of interest in design vs computation. If you want to stay in the "computational" side of things you will need some programming skill, and the sooner you learn the better. But if you're self-motivated you don't necessarily need to attend a school that has python classes.
ogwant
Apr 24, 23 1:24 pm
Yes, I've already have some programming skills, and even take some both theratical and practical course during my undergrad, such as automata and computability, machine learning, and computer graphics. And I belive I accomplish those course with really good course work, even better than majority CS students who are taking same course with me. And for school, what I'm specifically considering is Carnegie Mellon University, Master of Science in Computational Design.
graphemic
Apr 24, 23 1:00 pm
Genuinely curious, what do you (or anyone else who wants to chime in) see computational design "doing" in the field? Like tasks, roles, jobs, or even companies. I feel like my understanding of the career is pretty limited to formalists, which simply cannot be the extent of it.
ogwant
Apr 24, 23 1:15 pm
What I've done in undergrad thesis is a massive code based project. I use cyclegan as an generator and quite a lot of other algorithms in python to improve building circulation performance based on geometry.
Chad Miller
Apr 24, 23 1:39 pm
I would love to see your thesis on this!
pablum
Apr 25, 23 2:02 pm
The big schools for this are in Europe, most of the built research work coming out of ICD and ETH, the AA and Bartlett have strong computation programs but are less focused on fabrication. On the U.S side of things there's more programs cropping up, but MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and UMich have strong programs.
I am a recent graduate of UMich, so I'm relatively biased, but they have a pretty strong digital fabrication and computational design program in the M.S DMT degree, and faculty that are very active in the field. If you're interested in pursuing an M.Arch, Taubman College has a specific dual degree program that shares credit hours between the two degrees.
ogwant
Apr 25, 23 2:56 pm
Honestly, I was get admission of M.Arch2 program @UMich, but I didn't investigate into this program further. I though it doesn't worth 2 years for a M.Arch program, which I used to think M.Arch has a lot of repetition of B.Arch. I'm quite regret on not investigate dual degree program:-( But for now, I could only choice between a 1-year MSAAD program at ivy and MSCD program @Carnegie Mellon. Also, if you don't mind I'm very interesting to knowing which kind of job position are more tending to hire this kind employee.
pablum
Apr 25, 23 11:30 pm
In terms of employment, my understanding is that its widely applicable to any part of the Architecture / Design world. I know that there are quite a few job postings for computational designers at larger firms like HKS, HOK, Stantec, etc. These roles would likely be in daylighting, ventilation, energy modeling, but also in designing and optimizing building components (i.e facades, floor slabs, layouts, material use, etc.) If you're interested in fabrication / additive manufacturing, there's plenty of positions for architectural fabricators and 3d printing firms like ICON. Some of the alumnus of UMich have also transitioned to other industries, working for Apple, Wework, Intelligent City, Nike, Adidas, etc.
Hello,
I will recently graduat with a B.Arch degree and I am interested in pursuing further research in computational design. However, I am unsure whether I should choose a master program with a stronger computer science or a stronger architecture, although both of them are under architecture department.
On one hand, I feel that a strong computer science program would provide me with the technical skills and knowledge necessary to excel in computational design. On the other hand, I also want to deepen my understanding of architecture and design, so a program with a stronger architecture program may be more valuable to me.
I was wondering if anyone here has any experience or advice on choosing a program for computational design. Are there specific programs or schools that are particularly well-suited for this field? Should I prioritize a strong computer science program or a strong architecture program?
I am also interested in exploring possible positions for computational design. What are some career paths for someone with a background in architecture and expertise in computational design? Are there any specific industries or companies that are particularly well-suited for this field?
Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!
The big schools for this imo are all in Europe. Stuttgart, ETH Zurich, etc. Maybe the AA programs if you are more into the design side of things. Look at what the people do at those schools and try to find out where they are working now to get an idea.
It isn't a career path with a typical roadmap so it's hard to suggest one program over another. People come from all sorts of backgrounds and have varying levels of interest in design vs computation. If you want to stay in the "computational" side of things you will need some programming skill, and the sooner you learn the better. But if you're self-motivated you don't necessarily need to attend a school that has python classes.
Yes, I've already have some programming skills, and even take some both theratical and practical course during my undergrad, such as automata and computability, machine learning, and computer graphics. And I belive I accomplish those course with really good course work, even better than majority CS students who are taking same course with me. And for school, what I'm specifically considering is Carnegie Mellon University, Master of Science in Computational Design.
Genuinely curious, what do you (or anyone else who wants to chime in) see computational design "doing" in the field? Like tasks, roles, jobs, or even companies. I feel like my understanding of the career is pretty limited to formalists, which simply cannot be the extent of it.
What I've done in undergrad thesis is a massive code based project. I use cyclegan as an generator and quite a lot of other algorithms in python to improve building circulation performance based on geometry.
I would love to see your thesis on this!
The big schools for this are in Europe, most of the built research work coming out of ICD and ETH, the AA and Bartlett have strong computation programs but are less focused on fabrication. On the U.S side of things there's more programs cropping up, but MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and UMich have strong programs.
I am a recent graduate of UMich, so I'm relatively biased, but they have a pretty strong digital fabrication and computational design program in the M.S DMT degree, and faculty that are very active in the field. If you're interested in pursuing an M.Arch, Taubman College has a specific dual degree program that shares credit hours between the two degrees.
Honestly, I was get admission of M.Arch2 program @UMich, but I didn't investigate into this program further. I though it doesn't worth 2 years for a M.Arch program, which I used to think M.Arch has a lot of repetition of B.Arch. I'm quite regret on not investigate dual degree program:-( But for now, I could only choice between a 1-year MSAAD program at ivy and MSCD program @Carnegie Mellon. Also, if you don't mind I'm very interesting to knowing which kind of job position are more tending to hire this kind employee.
In terms of employment, my understanding is that its widely applicable to any part of the Architecture / Design world. I know that there are quite a few job postings for computational designers at larger firms like HKS, HOK, Stantec, etc. These roles would likely be in daylighting, ventilation, energy modeling, but also in designing and optimizing building components (i.e facades, floor slabs, layouts, material use, etc.) If you're interested in fabrication / additive manufacturing, there's plenty of positions for architectural fabricators and 3d printing firms like ICON. Some of the alumnus of UMich have also transitioned to other industries, working for Apple, Wework, Intelligent City, Nike, Adidas, etc.