DESIGN SOCIAL — Choreographing Architecture

CHOREOGRAPHING ARCHITECTURE:
Developing a Generative Movement Language for Embodied Design

Sara D’Amato, M.ARCH
Directed-Student Research
(2019-2020)
School of Architecture
McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Theodora Vardouli

Awarded the 2020-2021 Ping Kwan Lau Prize in Architecture

BIOGRAPHY
DESIGN SOCIAL 2025/07/31

FINAL PRESENTATION

ABSTRACT
INTRO
I-DISTORTIONS
II-PERMUTATIONS
III-ACTIVITIES
REFERENCES

FALL 2020: ARCHIVE

10/14/2020
10/22/2020
11/03/2020
11/18/2020
11/27/2020
11/30/2020
12/04/2020

CHOREOGRAPHING ARCHITECTURE

DESIGN SOCIAL PRESENTATION

2025-07-31

HOW CAN MOVEMENT BE PRACTICALLY APPLIED IN THE FIELD OF ARCHITECTURE?

INTER-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION:

"Tesseracts of Time: A Dance for Architecture" by Steven Holl (video @ 0:40 seconds)

DESIGN TOOL:

Movement & Activity Mapping - in Urban Planning

Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (goes beyond OBC)

"Human Dimension and Interior Space" by Julius Panero

FIELD WORK & CONSTRUCTION:

Making grammars - translated to scipt in parametric design / CNC Milling Fabrication
Movement Notation - translated to robotic coding / understanding robotic on-site fabrication

Movement Mapping - understanding the construction process of assembly on-site / impacting architectural detailing and representation

Somatic responses to design and space: Autodesk: Extended Reality in Construction - AR, VR, and MR (video for Workshop XR at end)

MOVEMENT SCRIPT DESIGN ACTIVITY