Together with Simply Rhino Limited, and the industry standard digital design and fabrication software Rhino3D, the School of Architecture + Cities at the University of Westminster co-hosted the 8th Shape to Fabrication Conference at Marylebone Campus on 26-29 April.
The itinerary was packed with presentations, discussions and workshops from experts in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) and Design, all working at the cutting edge of their field. Presenters included Heatherwick Studio, showing their new Google HQ in California, Herzog & de Meuron, Foster Associates, as well as engineering firms such as Arups and other younger makers.
To kickstart the event, two architects from Heatherwick Studio took attendees through their approach to designing Google Bay View HQ in California.
What followed was a series of presentations, discussions and workshops about topics such as reducing waste and decarbonising the construction industry, the new tools that can enhance the architectural design and fabrication processes, natural materials, the use of data and much more.
Students studying courses relevant to Architecture, Engineering and Construction and Design at the University of Westminster were able to attend the event, gaining valuable insights and inspiration from experts who are paving the way in this sector.
Professor Harry Charrington, Head of the School of Architecture + Cities, said: “It was an extraordinary international event with people attending from Japan to the USA, across India, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. We had almost the entire global development team of Rhino / Grasshopper present, together with the various users of it, running workshops and giving talks.
“These sessions are explicitly designed to enable the developers and users to co-create the next iterations of the software through understanding how it works in practice – and how it could work.
“Our students and staff were able to take part in all the workshops and attend the main plenary conference sessions – an amazing knowledge exchange opportunity.”
Rada Daleva, a student on the University’s Master of Architecture (MArch) (RIBA Pt II) course, reflected on the conference on LinkedIn: “Over the course of two days, we heard talks about various exciting projects and technologies under development which will open a whole new world of opportunities for architects to streamline and improve the design and fabrication processes and decarbonise the construction industry.
“A brilliant presentation was given by Elena Shilova from Grimshaw on the potential of #upcycling industrial biowaste into a construction material to help tackle the destructive environmental impact of the construction industry.
“The rapid development of technology opens a world of opportunities which in collaboration with the expertise of different professionals can lead to improved architectural design and fabrication processes.”
Diana Fox, another student on the same course, said: “Attending the Shape to Fabrication conference co-hosted by Simply Rhino has been an amazing experience. I got to learn unique skills at the workshops, and I met some very talented professionals. Being surrounded by the greatest minds in the industry and testing out the most advanced and upcoming softwares and programs has given me so much inspiration for not only my university project but for my future career aspirations.”
Stephanie Bose and Paul Cowell from Simply Rhino Limited and Shape to Fabrication said: “The feeling from the Shape to Fabrication team, backed up by amazing feedback from those who attended, is that this was our best conference yet, and we know that the collaboration and support from the University of Westminster played a huge part in this.
“Alongside our thought-provoking, inspiring, energetic and innovative presentations is the sense of community, collaboration, and connection – it’s the people that make Shape to Fabrication and being at the University gave us the opportunity to deliver the 8th iteration of our conference in an environment that welcomed and brought together students, educators and industry professionals, sharing common interests and passions.
“Our thanks go to Harry Charrington, Daniel Scroggins, and all the team at the University for partnering with us, it really felt like Shape to Fabrication had found a home!”
Find out more about the courses taught in the School of Architecture and Cities at the University of Westminster.
