Yujin Kim

Yujin Kim commenced her PhD degree in September 2018. She holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, the US and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Architecture from Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea. After she was awarded the Master of Architecture degree, she worked in professional architecture offices for ten years. She did various projects with hotels, offices, schools, and more, working in architecture firms in San Francisco and Boston, the US for five and a half years. After coming back to South Korea, Yujin worked in architecture offices in Seoul for four and a half years and taught in an architectural studio at Konkuk University, Seoul. She also participated in architectural studios as an external juror at Yeungnam University in South Korea.

 

Bioinspired Modularity in Architectural Design

Dr Michael Weinstock

Biological systems have a “modular” organization, as architectural design can be subdivided into smaller parts called “modules.” These modules exist as separate components with their own individuality while at the same time being correlated with other parts of the whole, and integration has covariation. A wide variety of research has drawn analogies between the relation of the parts to integration in architecture and biology, especially evolutionary developmental biology. However, throughout history, architectural design has often been developed without an arduous scientific process. The aim of the research is the accurate investigation of evolutionary developmental biological logic that can be applied to efficient modular systems in architectural design; genetic algorithm in computation that optimizes the design process; and scientific methods that could lead to developments in design. In order to advance the scientific design process, key issues have been addressed. On one hand, the meaning of module shall be investigated in different scales. The conventional definition of “module” is that each of independent units or a series of standardized elements that can be constructed into a more complex structure. In biology, however, the differentiation between the type of modularity and the operative definition in different scales is an ongoing process. Diverse meanings of “modules” in biology shall be articulately analyzed in regard to modularity in architectural design. On the other hand, the reasons why modules are critical factors and the relation of modules to the whole shall be investigated with the assistant of computational design. By resolving these issues, modularity in design driven by biology can maximize the advantages of scientific computational modular systems for architecture.