Digital and Material Prototyping through Computational Design

One of my favourite concepts within architectural design is the prototype. In my view, this is a notion that encompasses the essence of design processes, in its potential to explore, test, and provide new knowledge and understanding to the process. I even named my two dissertations in this way - Architectural Prototypes and Architectural Prototypes II (albeit each with its more precise sub-titles).

While one might suggest that prototypes are imperfect results, or the outcome of a process that is yet to be perfected, I would argue that prototyping entails evolving processes beyond expectations combined with the affordance of a design outcome that is innovative as well as viable. To prototype means to learn continuously, and at the same time being able to deliver within the scope and resources of a commission. To play, explore and test in a serious way, and to simulate to innovate, as Michael Schrage once suggested. In my view, anything can be prototyped. The idea applies equally to processes, artefacts, experiences and design practice itself.

In my continued reflection of the past 13 years as Head of Dsearch at White Arkitekter , one project stands apart, especially in terms of prototyping. In our work with the Forumtorget Bench many members that were part of Dsearch contributed. It is our longest project in time and space (7 years, 65-meters), and we were engaged from the conceptual competition stage until the final assembly on site, bringing spatial, architectural, social, and technical aspects together in an integrated way. I often refer to the bench as an urban landmark in furniture scale that provides a ‘perfect resting place’ for anyone regardless of body configuration.

During the development of the bench, we prototyped our design process (exploring versioning of computational scripts and the way to document them), our development standards (upgrading our visual scripting standards seven times during the process), the software (in the beginning our visual scripting platform was updated every three months), the design itself (through scripting, digital modelling, scale models and four full-scale physical prototypes), and the tendering process (aiding our public client to find the best contractor to deliver and assemble the bench on site). While we had the technical and computational design expertise to model the bench from the start, we needed to find the best design solution as well as the best way to materialise it on the Forumtorget public square in Uppsala.

Many parties and individuals contributed to this project. The first acknowledgement must go to our client, the Municipality of Uppsala, who believed in the project from the start. The second to all Dsearch team members who worked with the development - Hamia Aghaiemeybodi , Pedram Seddighzadeh , Theo Tsesmatzoglou and Vladimir Ondejcik (who produced the final production documents). The competition team at White included Gustav Jarl?v , Jens Modin , Sam Keshavarz , Torbj?rn Eliasson , Hanna Linde , Lotta Lindh , Andreas Milsta , Mattias Nordstr?m , Viktoria Walldin and Christian Wallenborg . We collaborated with Michael Malmborg and Jonas Wannfors in the design development of the bench, and Suvad Muratovic was our structural engineer. Design-to-Production aided in the final production documentation through Johannes Kuhnen , and ROSSKOPF + PARTNER AG manufactured the complete bench and assembled it on site. All through this process we used prototyping to explore, assess and determine the form, the design process, and the manufacturing process together with all partners, as well as the performance of the bench on site where the residents of Uppsala provided their feedback.

The Forumtorget Bench has been awarded (Architecture Master Prize in Landscape Architecure). It is still popping up in social media occasionally as an example of parametric design (it opened in 2018). In Dsearch we have used it as a reference in several scientific papers presenting our way to manage computational design development. And of course it is there to experience first-hand in central Uppsala, Sweden (lifespan expectancy 30 + years). The full story of its conception, development and delivery has not been told until now however, which is why I am very happy that the white paper telling this story is now online – as a story of its digital and material prototyping. The link to this paper can be found in the comments section.

This is also the last post from me as a partner and former Head of Dsearch at White Arkitekter – from this point I will practice as an independent architect and design researcher, open to suggestions for collaboration.