Integrated Design Studio hosts Performative Structures: Systems As Concept Generators
February 14, 2026
BY Emily Capdeville
ARCH 3032 Integrated Design Studio, Architecture In Dialogue hosted a Performative Structures: Systems As Concept Generators in collaboration with Paul Richardson from Buro Happold Boston. The students spent their entire day, combining their ARCH 3215 and ARCH 3032 courses reviewing structural systems as active agents in architectural design, rather than neutral supports. Through a series of analytical and speculative exercises, the workshop emphasizes structure as a performative framework—one that shapes architecture through measurable behavior and strategic constraints. By treating systems as generative tools, the student's explore through rapid prototyping of physical model making design strategies where structural performance and architectural concepts emerge simultaneously. Studio Faculty included Irene Keil, Steve Dumez, Chris Meyer, Shawna Meyer (coordinator) and Jonathan Tate.
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