What Joanna says about the Master's in Digital Architecture and Emergent Futures

Joanna – Alumna

Joanna studied the specialisation ‘Spatial Experiments’ – previously offered in the Master's programme in Architecture. The new Master's programme, Digital Architecture and Emergent Futures, mainly build on that specialisation. Since the alumni of this interview studied ‘Spatial Experiments’, she has studied the majority of the courses currently offered in Digital Architecture and Emergent Futures.

What year did you graduate?

"I graduated in 2018."

What was your experience of the programme and the learning environment?

"I think for me the greatest thing about the programme was the true freedom in exploring topics of interest. Having done my undergrad at another university that had quite rigid rules and a prescribed solution to every type of design, I really enjoyed being able to take a deep dive into this experimental approach. My favourite experience of the learning environment was sharing the workspace with people from all around the world, and most definitely some Christmas beermaking in the studio!"

What is your current job and where is it located?

"Currently, I’m working with Grimshaw as a Computational Design Specialist. I’m based in the London studio. As a Design Technology department, we also support projects from our offices in Paris, Dubai and New York."

What else have you done since you graduated?

"As a big outdoor enthusiast, I’ve travelled a lot and did a few high-altitude treks. I also picked up rock climbing, and recently did a free ascent of the West face of Stawamus Chief in Squamish, Canada."

How are you changing the industry or the world (in a large or small way)?

"I strongly believe there are endless benefits to the implementation of computational design tools in the industry. Over the last couple of years, my main focus was on sustainability and optimisation through computational design within projects of a variety of scales. I’ve been hugely involved in developing workflows which not only allow for optimised thermal and structural performance (via environmental analysis and design for Net Zero), but also allow for the introduction of new types of geometry and structures built out of sustainable materials – such as bamboo. A lot of my work has been focused around circular economy, reusing or disassembly and reassembly of built elements. On top of that, I have been providing training in computational design to other members of architectural staff in order to propagate more efficient design processes."

What do you miss most from your time at Lund University?

"All the failed experiments and fika (coffee breaks)!"