The Ecole des Ponts course prepares professionals for “high-level positions”
promotion: French engineering school École des Ponts ParisTech offers a Master’s degree that gives students and practitioners comprehensive knowledge of parametric architecture, robotics and digital manufacturing.
Launched in 2016, the Master’s degree in Digital Building Design lasts 16 months and is taught in English. The course is designed to provide students with solid knowledge of parametric generative design, computer-aided manufacturing and 3D printing.
École des Ponts ParisTech says its Executive Master’s degree addresses a number of contemporary challenges in architecture and construction, including energy performance, sustainability and the demand for sustainable methods of productivity.
It is aimed at builders and designers who want to acquire the academic knowledge and digital tools needed to meet the new challenges posed by the “ecological transition and the industrialization of construction”.
“The ways buildings and structures are designed are changing, as are construction methods and associated trades,” the school said. “Digital tools provide new opportunities for players in this sector, who need to learn how to seize them collectively.”
The course includes a four-month full-time semester where students acquire the basic concepts of parametric design, followed by a five-month semester where they can study a particular topic in greater depth. Students can choose to specialize in digital design or robotics manufacturing.
Course graduate Leah Khairallah said: “Computational design and the use of artificial intelligence in general have become essential aspects in a designer’s daily life, especially in architecture and urbanism.” “By bringing together different fields such as physics, mathematics, design and art, it provides designers with methods and tools that allow them to go beyond traditional approaches and generate innovative insight into the various issues they encounter during their projects.”
Khairallah continued: “The Executive Master’s Degree in Digital Building Design – through a transversal and interdisciplinary approach – offers a 360 view that allows understanding of the world of computational design.”
“Introducing different topics and innovative projects provided me with a series of modern tools and methods. Above all, it helped me develop a new approach to problem solving that I apply in my daily professional life.”
During the course, students have access to the school’s digital manufacturing machines, including 3D printers in the school’s dedicated makerspace.
École des Ponts ParisTech says that at the end of the training, graduates will have a full understanding of the tools needed to build objects with complex geometries as well as automated manufacturing and digital design. Graduates will also be equipped to develop innovative workflows “using a computational and collaborative approach to architecture and engineering.”
After graduation, students can further develop their careers as project managers, structural engineers, computational designers, robotics and drone designers or interaction designers.
Course director Romain Dubalet said: “The program prepares graduates for a number of high-level positions in architectural design with a strong focus on digital innovation, computational robotics and manufacturing.”
“Graduates of the program may qualify for positions in architectural offices, urban design studios, construction firms specializing in complex engineering, robotics and digital fabrication, graphic design, art studios, innovation consulting firms, 3D printing platforms and software development companies.”
Applications for the Master’s course in Digital Building Design open every year in January. The school recommends that you apply online for the next session as early as January 2024 for a start date of September 2024.
Founded in 1747, the École des Ponts ParisTech is an institution of higher education offering several master’s and doctoral programs in many subjects, including environmental sciences, nuclear engineering, mathematics, urban planning, economics, transportation, sociology, mechanical engineering and civil engineering.
Photos courtesy of Charlene Yves, Ponts ParisTech.
To learn more about the course, visit the school website.
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This article was written by Dezeen for École des Ponts ParisTech as part of the partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.
