Coding Architecture I-II is a programming class for architects with particular focus on demystifying technology – both software and hardware – and exploring the programmability of our world through powerful methods of digital, computational, and algorithmic design. This course is offered by the Gramazio Kohler Research group (GKR).
The course begins with the fundamentals of Python and gradually builds toward more complex topics, including computational geometry with the COMPAS framework, graph-based structures, and cell networks.
In the spring semester, students shift from principles to practice, working with the compas_timber library to design and fabricate reciprocal frame structures. The course culminates in the construction of a full-scale pavilion, a hands-on application of digital timber design at 1:1 scale.
This year's pavilion, Tangled Reliance, designed by Nicolás Egon Wittig and Samuel Tanner, was selected for fabrication. The entire process, from CNC machining of approximately 200 components to full assembly and on-site installation, was completed in just 1.5 weeks. The structure now stands beside the HIN building at ETH Hönggerberg, serving as a tangible outcome of computational design and digital fabrication.
Credits:
Project by: Nicolás Egon Wittig, Samuel Tanner
Course Coordination: Lorin Wiedemeier
Course Lecturer: Gonzalo Casas
Teaching team: Gonzalo Casas, Lorin Wiedemeier, Lancelot Burwell, Eric Gozzi, Katerina Katsarou, Halima Hassan, Francesco Milano, Alexandra Moisi, Fabio Gramazio, Matthias Kohler
Machining: Panos Papacharalambous
Assembly: Lorin Wiedemeier, Gonzalo Casas, Panos Papacharalambous, Alexandra Moisi, Katerina Katsarou, Matthias Helmreich, Lancelot Burwell, Quentin Wiesmath, Nicolas Egon Wittig, Samuel Tanner, Aaron Senn, Basil Kretz, Jamie Ramos, Luca Petrus, Tobias Hartmann, Sukhdevsinh Parmar
Consulting: Udo Thönnissen, Lluis Enrique, Michele Capelli, Michael Lyrenmann, Luca Petrus, Tobias Hartmann, Ananya Kango, Ania Apolinarska, Victor Leung, Oliver Bucklin, Clemens Preisinger, Alessandro Tellini, Fritz Graber, Fabian Egger
Gramazio Kohler Research
