Students Work with Industry Partner, Zahner Metals, and State-of-the-art Digital Technologies to Design/Fabricate/Build a Park Structure for the Muncie Community:

The reBarn project aims to enhance a public park along the White River in Muncie, Indiana. With the support of Muncie’s mayor and partnering with the local parks commission, students selected and researched the Westside Park site while developing design proposals. By providing a new semi-programmed platform for activity and reflection, users are connected to the landscape in a tactile and visual manner. Rejecting the over-simplified archetype of “bench” or “platform”, reBarn purposely anticipates many different programatic and ergonomic moments by engaging park users with a formal ambiguity. Without a predetermined and easily read use, users are invited to invent uses for sitting, reclining, climbing, etc. A sense of human scale and proportions is embedded in the layout of the panels, and its form is pulled specifically from the site as it creates a third levee above the river to encourage visitors to engage the structure.
reBarn is composed of reclaimed barnwood (275 unique pieces for a total of 300,000 board feet) donated to i.M.A.D.E by a local family. Each piece of barn wood was de-nailed and power washed, numbered and inventoried by species, length, width, depth, and other physical characteristics. This catalog of available stock was used to efficiently nest reBarn components which were unrolled from a digital Rhino model. Each wood component was custom milled using a 3-axis CNC router.
Connections between individual wood components and panels were informed by a partnership with Zahner Metals in Kansas City. Our students and a team from Zahner discussed this project very early in the process in order to effectively design and engineer reBarn according to the many fabrication and structural constraints. This collaboration included online meetings, phone calls, and a visit to Zahner’s headquarters in Kansas City. Zahner generously supplied materials and fabricated all of the aluminum components for reBarn including five water jet cut aluminum surface panels and over 350 variable aluminum joints.
After fabrication, reBarn was installed over seven days, including all site work and preparation. On-site, the digital model (loaded on laptops) was the only reference for placement of structural supports, resulting in precision assembly. In fact, digital design and fabrication technologies along with industry partnerships were instrumental in realizing the project.

i.M.A.D.E wishes to thank:
Mayor Sharon McShirley of Muncie and the Muncie Parks Department, particularly Doug Zook for their support of the project.
Bill Zahner, Tony Birchler, Roger Reed, Sam Miller, and the rest of the team at A. Zahner Metals for their collaborative help throughout the design process and their generous production and material support.
Ken and Karen Newton in Cambridge City, Indiana for their generous donation of the barn wood used for the project.
Stacey and Linda Burt in Eaton, Indiana for lending tools and equipment and donating site and landscape materials.
The College of Architecture and Planning’s wood shop staff–particularly the shop manager, Kyle Sechrest.

Design to Production Team:
Elizabeth Boone
Eric Brockmeyer
Adam Buente
Jared Burt
Dustin Headley
Kyle Perry

Student Help Team:
Amber Agan
Rudy Arroyo
Ariel Aurellano
Deepak Baniya
Ben Fruehling
Ben Greenberg
Austin Lucari
Joseph Martin
Claire Matucheski
Brianna Newton
Priyanshu Shrivastava
Mark VandenAkker

Partners:
A. Zahner Metals
Muncie Parks Department

Faculty:
Kevin Klinger
Joshua Vermillion

The changing market, global realities, distributed networks, and rate of change of technological innovation has affected the practice of architecture. Designers are turning to the manufacturing sector to provide custom made solutions for the built world. As a result, collaboration with industry is happening earlier in the design process and teams of diverse expertise are assembled to accomplish the total design through production process. Digital information lies at the center of these collaborative exchanges. As such, skills with coordinating the complex management of digital information are necessary.

The 12 credit-hour Certificate Program in Digital Design and Fabrication is designed to prepare students to develop a skill set with digital information, while at the same time directly engage industry partners in an open and collaborative environment. A combination of on-campus, off-campus, and long-distance/online course modules are geared toward professionals and non-traditional students.

This graduate certificate course framework allows for credits to apply to a 30 credit-hour Master of Architecture II degree (post-professional). The Certificate framework is flexible to allow students to customize their M.Arch II course of study to specialize in Digital Design and Fabrication and related topics. Course credits may also be applicable as electives requirements for Ball State’s MArch Professional program, and MS in Historic Preservation.

Aligned with Ball State’s Department of Architecture and i.M.A.D.E (the Institute for Digital Fabrication), this Certificate and graduate course work is inherently interdisciplinary and is targeted at design professionals, fabricators, and manufacturers. The bundle of courses is intended to introduce students to the interconnections between disciplines through the management of digital information, reinforcing the total design through production process. The Degree will offer a strategic advantage to professional designers and fabricators and is aligned with regional industry partnerships. By working in collaboration with industry partners on applied research projects, students gain practical real world expertise that transcends the classroom.

i.M.A.D.E has already worked with the following institutional, design, industry partners and sponsors:
• The Indianapolis Museum of Art
• The Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture
• The Indianapolis Arts Center
• CASE Design, New York
• Philip Beesley Architect, Toronto
• A2SO4, Indianapolis
• SHoP, New York
• A. Zahner Metals, Kansas City
• Arrowhead Plastics Engineering (Plastics + Fiberglass Fabrication)
• David R Webb (Hardwood Veneer Supply)
• MidWest Metals (Metal Fabrication)
• Indiana Limestone Fabricators (CNC Limestone Fabrication)
• Frank Miller Lumber (Hardwood Supply)
• Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association
• Indiana Limestone Institute of America

Other Digital Design and Fabrication offerings are currently being developed.
Fill out this form to submit inquiries and receive updates about our program :: http://www.i-m-a-d-e.org/subscribe
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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a “certificate”?

A graduate certificate is not defined as a degree by Ball State’s Graduate School; rather, it is a focused collection of courses (12 credit-hours) that, when completed, affords the student some record of coherent academic accomplishment in the focused topics of Digital Design + Fabrication. A certificate caters to those who wish to “reboot” their design skill sets without undertaking a full 30 credit-hour Master’s degree. Students receive a printed certificate acknowledging successful completion of the certificate. The student’s official transcript will also indicate successful completion of the program. Students must achieve at least a 3.0 GPA in the program, and no course with a grade below a 2.0 can be counted toward the certificate.

2. Do I have to enroll as a full-time student for the Certificate in Digital Design + Fabrication?

No, students may be enrolled full or part-time in a certificate program. The Program affords much flexibility for those with busy schedules or working full-time.

3. What if I choose, mid-stream, to pursue a Master’s degree at Ball State?

This is not a problem; students may apply credit from certificate programs to a Master’s degree at Ball State (pending admission into a graduate degree program).

4. Are Graduate Assistantships available if I pursue a Certificate in Digital Design + Fabrication?

No, unfortunately it is Ball State’s policy that graduate students enrolled only in a certificate program may not hold a Graduate Assistantship.

5. What is the course framework for the Certificate program?

The Certificate program consists of 9 core credits:

ARCH581 – Digital Design/Fabrication Foundations 1 (3 credit hours):
Foundations course introducing surface modeling and design methods and tools for CNC fabrication. Initiates a basic understanding of surface geometry, construction history, fabrication strategies, and data extraction/translation through a series of hands-on, iterative modeling and digital fabrication exercises.

ARCH593 – Digital Design/Fabrication Applications Seminar (3 credit hours):
Design to fabrication seminar focusing students on collaborative immersive projects and discussing theoretical digital technology issues. Students work in teams with faculty, industry partners, and material suppliers to develop applied research problems from inception to full-scale prototype through digital design and fabrication techniques.

ARCH594–Immersive Practicum Studio (3 credit hours):
Self-directed, entrepreneurial, creative projects performed under the guidance of faculty advisors and in collaboration with industry partners. Students are responsible for developing original ideas, products, and systems into commodities with potential value for product spin-off or business incubation.

Additionally, the last 3 credits are from successfully completing one of the electives listed below:

ARCH582 – Digital Design/Fabrication Foundations II (3 credit hours):
Foundations course introducing advanced computational design and analysis tools. Topics and skills covered include time-based modeling, scripting, parametric and informational modeling, and computational performance simulation. Skills are developed through a series of case studies and human-scale design, optimization, and fabrication projects.

ITMFG568 — Inquiries into 3D Prototyping (3 credit hours):
Introduction to an inquiry-based, iterative approach to 3 dimensional laser scanning, rapid prototyping technologies, laser machining, and CNC machining; students use R&D methods to produce and refine digital 3d product designs and manufacture prototypes.

ITEDU697 – Problems in Technology Education (3 credit hours):
Independent study in advanced industrial or professional techniques.

6. How do I apply to the Certificate in Digital Design + Fabrication program?

The application process and requirements are the same as any graduate degree. These steps are outlined here:

http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/CollegesandDepartments/CAP/Programs/Architecture/Programs/Masters/Apply/MArchIIChecklist.aspx

Applicants pursuing only a certificate will be admitted as non-degree students. Students who complete a certificate, however, can apply these hours to a degree-granting program upon receiving department approval.

Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning is one of three schools identified for excellence in Digital Design and Fabrication by Architect Magazine.

This research will test the further integration of digital information and fabrication equipment within the limestone industry’s production processes and culminate with a proof-of-concept system for re-using stone off-cuts/leftovers. Our sincere thanks to the Discovery Foundation for funding this opportunity to immerse students and faculty in important and timely research and development with our industry partners.

Book Released:
Manufacturing Material Effects: Rethinking Design and Making in Architecture
Edited by Branko Kolarevic and Kevin R. Klinger; Published by Routledge.

Order this book: Routledge | Amazon

About the Book:
Designers are becoming more directly involved in the fabrication process from the earliest stages of design. This book showcases the design and research work by some of the leading designers, makers and thinkers today. This highly illustrated text brings together a wealth of information and numerous examples from practice which will appeal to both students and practitioners.

Book Contributors:
Branko Kolarevic and Kevin Klinger / Ball State University (Muncie, USA)
Brett Steele / Architectural Association (London, UK)
Jeanne Gang / Studio Gang Architects (Chicago, USA)
Shohei Shigematsu / OMA-AMO (New York, USA)
Donald Bates / LAB Architecture (Melbourne, Australia / London, UK)
David J. Lewis / LTL Architects (New York, USA)
David Erdman / servo (Los Angeles, USA)
Mark Goulthorpe / dECOi & MIT (Cambridge, USA)
Marta Malé-Alemany & José Pedro Sousa / ReD (Barcelona, Spain & Porto, Portugal)
Achim Menges / Ocean North & AA (London, UK)
Fabio Gramazio & Matthias Kohler / Gramazio/Kohler & ETH (Zurich, Switz.)
Chris Sharples / SHoP (New York, USA)
Makai Smith / Bentley Systems (Exton, USA)
Fabian Scheurer / designtoproduction & ETH (Zurich, Switzerland)
Frank Barkow / Barkow Leibinger (Berlin, Germany)
William Zahner / Zahner Architectural Metals (Kansas City, USA)
Ruben Suare / 3form (Salt Lake City, USA)
Marc Simmons / Front Inc. (New York, USA)
Mick Eekhout / Octatube & TU Delft (Delft, Netherlands)
Phil Bernstein / Autodesk & Yale University (New Haven, USA)

As part of the ninth edition of the BEYOND MEDIA festival in Florence, Italy, the SPOT ON SCHOOLS exhibition explored the didactics in the field of architectural design and of the new media of communication, while focusing on the most recent development of the use of digital technologies for design research in the field of education. Invited to show work at SPOT ON SCHOOLS, i.M.A.D.E installed various exhibit pieces on the mezzanine in the Stazione Leopolda, including Morpholuminescence, Bodhi Tree, and Veneer Luminaires.

Comprised of custom laser-cut “petals”, “stems”, and hinges, Morpholuminescence was pre-assembled for testing prior to shipping in pieces. Petal movements and LED hue variations were driven by Arduino microcontrollers via data from proximity sensors. Assembled completely on-site and illuminated with spot lighting, the Bodhi Tree required laser cutting of over 10,000 components from hardwood veneer. The Luminaires were also constructed on-site from hardwood veneer along with lightweight acrylic armatures and fluorescent lighting.

In addition to the show, Kevin Klinger and Mahesh Senagala were invited to speak about the work at the simultaneous symposium. Senagala’s presentation related to the pedagogical goals of “An Inconvenient Studio” and the resulting student-made prototypes, including Morpholuminescence and Arcus Animus. Klinger’s talk centered around the topics of digital fabrication and material effects, with examples of projects from innovative professionals from around the globe and from i.M.A.D.E including Bodhi Tree, reBarn, SmartScrap, and the MMFX Exhibition (all described in print in the exhibition and catalog).

Click here to visit the BEYOND MEDIA or SPOT ON SCHOOLS websites.

Become a fan of BEYOND MEDIA on Facebook.

Student Design/Management/Installation Team:
Elizabeth Boone
Eric Brockmeyer
Adam Buente
Kyle Perry

Print Layout/Design and Component Production Team:
Ben Greenberg
Greg Hittler
Eric Laine
Austin Lucari

Faculty:
Kevin Klinger
Mahesh Senagala
Joshua Vermillion

Kevin Klinger delivers the keynote lecture at the 2009 Iberoamerican Society of Digital Graphics (SIGraDi) Conference on November 18, 2009 at the FAU Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Sao Paulo, Brasil. Klinger’s lecture was entitled: “Manufacturing Material Effects: Rethinking Design and Making in Architecture.”

Additionally, Klinger presented a paper at the conference entitled: “Digital Design through Production Pedagogy: Cases Involving Student/Industry Collaboration.”