international cooperation in education - Laboratory of Heat Transfer ...
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Source: M. Voyatzaki photo archive<br />
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The partner enterprises are Pôles d’Excellence, Pôles Innovations Constructives<br />
(a group <strong>of</strong> very well known <strong>in</strong>dustries, among which St Goba<strong>in</strong> glass <strong>in</strong>dustry,<br />
Ferrari textile <strong>in</strong>dustry, Vicat and Lafarge re<strong>in</strong>forced concrete <strong>in</strong>dustries,<br />
etc.), Materialise based <strong>in</strong> Belgium and the United K<strong>in</strong>gdom, Construccion Textil,<br />
and Industrias Be from Barcelona.<br />
The Rationale<br />
A large number <strong>of</strong> contemporary build<strong>in</strong>gs is generated through parametric<br />
design, that is the design <strong>of</strong> forms with the irreplaceable aid <strong>of</strong> computer s<strong>of</strong>tware<br />
<strong>in</strong> a cont<strong>in</strong>uum to their manufactur<strong>in</strong>g. At the same time, technological advances<br />
<strong>in</strong> the genesis <strong>of</strong> new materials and methods for the fabrication <strong>of</strong> components<br />
creates a natural cont<strong>in</strong>uum from the design process <strong>of</strong> a build<strong>in</strong>g to its<br />
fabrication.<br />
Despite this evident cont<strong>in</strong>uum, <strong>in</strong> real terms, work that is produced as the result<br />
<strong>of</strong> cont<strong>in</strong>uous efforts <strong>of</strong> research at universities and the respective research<br />
produced <strong>in</strong> the build<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dustry is hardly communicated and rarely becomes<br />
common knowledge. The two parties <strong>in</strong>volved, universities and enterprises, are<br />
not <strong>in</strong> the necessary close contact to promote creativity, <strong>in</strong>novation and competitiveness<br />
<strong>in</strong> the doma<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> the creation <strong>of</strong> contemporary architecture with the<br />
use <strong>of</strong> advanced technology at a European level. However, these two parties are<br />
complementary <strong>in</strong> their strengths and weaknesses. Namely, universities possess<br />
dedicated researchers with pr<strong>of</strong>ound academic <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> conduct<strong>in</strong>g research<br />
but lack the <strong>in</strong>frastructure to test their ideas, whilst enterprises have the aforementioned<br />
<strong>in</strong>frastructure but cannot exploit it as they lack pr<strong>of</strong>ound academic<br />
research. Moreover, teachers <strong>of</strong> architectural design always aware <strong>of</strong> contemporary<br />
tendencies <strong>in</strong> architecture never convey these tendencies to the build<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />
that tries speculatively and tentatively to adjust and adapt to these needs.<br />
Cont<strong>in</strong>uum will develop a series <strong>of</strong> activities such as student workshops to visit<br />
small to medium-sized enterprises that work with cutt<strong>in</strong>g-edge CAM/CNC techniques<br />
to become familiar with their limitations and potentials.<br />
The Aim<br />
The aim <strong>of</strong> the proposed Project is to support the quality <strong>of</strong> <strong>education</strong> and<br />
research <strong>in</strong> architectural design and construction <strong>of</strong>fered by schools <strong>of</strong> architecture<br />
<strong>of</strong> the consortium, by re<strong>in</strong>stat<strong>in</strong>g the channels <strong>of</strong> communication and <strong>in</strong>formation<br />
flow between schools <strong>of</strong> architecture and those enterprises who are<br />
apply<strong>in</strong>g digital fabrication technologies to produce new build<strong>in</strong>g materials, full<br />
scale components and prototypes, as well as surface structures. The broad and<br />
publicised availability <strong>of</strong> these channels will also enable practis<strong>in</strong>g architects to<br />
be <strong>in</strong> a cont<strong>in</strong>uum <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation from their life as students to their current life<br />
as pr<strong>of</strong>essionals.<br />
The Objectives<br />
This project proposes the creation <strong>of</strong> a consortium <strong>of</strong> schools <strong>of</strong> architecture<br />
and small to medium-sized enterprises activated <strong>in</strong> the area <strong>of</strong> digital manufactur<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
hav<strong>in</strong>g as its ma<strong>in</strong> objectives to:<br />
• Establish an exchange <strong>of</strong> experiences, <strong>in</strong>formation knowledge and expertise<br />
regard<strong>in</strong>g the contemporary trends and specific demands <strong>of</strong> architectural creation<br />
between teachers, researchers and enterprises.<br />
• Enrich the architectural design and construction courses <strong>of</strong>fered with new<br />
teach<strong>in</strong>g material, new teach<strong>in</strong>g subjects, new formal aspects, new construction<br />
techniques, and new teach<strong>in</strong>g and pedagogical strategies.<br />
• Br<strong>in</strong>g students closer to real contemporary conditions <strong>of</strong> architectural production<br />
by mak<strong>in</strong>g the processes <strong>of</strong> design and manufactur<strong>in</strong>g seamless.<br />
14 │ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY THESSALONIKI│SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING