Hi y’all! I’m a junior double majoring in CE and AD while dabbling in ME and PD. Last summer, I interned at a civil engineering firm where I worked on site and land development using AutoCAD and Civil3D. This summer, I will be interning at KitSwitch, a startup out of Stanford that uses modular interior design to tackle affordability and sustainability challenges. I have experience in Revit (thank you CEE 120A!) but no experience in Rhino or Grasshopper yet.
I’m particularly intrigued by new technologies and moving parts. More specifically, I want to industrialize the architectural design and construction processes via prefabrication, modular building, and 3D printing — all of which require strong CAD and BIM skills. Current construction produces a lot of waste, but these listed methods can greatly improve efficiencies. Beyond savings in time, cost, and resources, innovations like these also allow us to shift away from traditional rectilinear structures whose 90 deg angles were meant to make construction easier. I’m imagining buildings with exposed organic tree-like structural systems that serve as the architecture rather than hiding behind drywall and drop down ceilings.
I’m simultaneously enrolled in ME127 (Design for Additive Manufacturing) where we’ll use generative design tools in Fusion360. I’m curious what differences, if any, I’ll find between these two courses as well as how specific techniques or strategies translate across disciplines.
As for my inclination towards kinetic systems, I’m envisioning a time where our buildings’ components are designed to be flexible and move as a new approach to sustainability. Instead of continuing the existing static nature where permanence equals sustainable, what if we achieved continued usability of the space by accepting that buildings too must physically adapt as our needs change?
Speaking of movement, my understanding of dance heavily influences how I design. I’m quite active in the undergraduate dance groups and the Stanford social dance scenes. Please reach out to give me constructive criticism, to chat, and to waltz ;)