- Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Sotirios Kotsopoulos
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Architecture, Department Member
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MIT Media Lab, Department MemberNational Technical University of Athens, Architecture Engineering, Faculty Memberadd
- Shape Grammar (Architecture), Computational Visual and Spatial Arts, Architecture, Symmetry, Lighting Design for Performance, Energy Efficient Architecture, and 4 moreSociology of Architecture, Energy Efficient Building Envelope Systems, The Internet of Things, and Engineering and timber constructionedit
- Sotirios holds a Ph.D. in Design and Computation from MIT. He focuses on cross-disciplinary research at the intersect... moreSotirios holds a Ph.D. in Design and Computation from MIT. He focuses on cross-disciplinary research at the intersection of Computation, Design, and Engineering, aiming to develop human centric, environmentally responsible, and aesthetically balanced practices that can have substantial economic and cultural importance. His activity involves teaching, execution of projects, and engagement in scholarship through publications. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses, cross-disciplinary workshops, and seminars, at the MIT Media Lab, the MIT School of Architecture, the MIT School of Arts and Humanities, and the Wentworth Institute of Technology, and he has published numerous academic papers. In 2016 he joined the faculty of the National Technical University of Athens, Greece as an Assistant Professor of Architecture.edit
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This paper presents a generative grammar producing a language of patterns for the south faA§ade of a prototype sustainable house. The patterns are produced through the activation of the electrochromic material that is applied on the... more
This paper presents a generative grammar producing a language of patterns for the south faA§ade of a prototype sustainable house. The patterns are produced through the activation of the electrochromic material that is applied on the windowpanes of the faA§ade. The class of the performatively effective configurations of the faA§ade is approached as a visual language and the productive (generation), combinatorial (enumeration) and performative (verification) attributes of this language are examined. Random, performance driven, patterns could supply sufficient interior daylight without acknowledging the visual potential of faA§ade pattern generation. The uniqueness of the chosen approach is that the shape grammar encodes the performative constraints pertaining to the generation of faA§ade patterns in a visual manner by associating principles of two-dimensional pattern generation to levels of illuminance.
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In this paper, we discuss our early studies with electronically activated variable transmission materials (e.g., electrochromic glasses and PDLC films) for the design of interactive, programmable building facades that exercise... more
In this paper, we discuss our early studies with electronically activated variable transmission materials (e.g., electrochromic glasses and PDLC films) for the design of interactive, programmable building facades that exercise environmentally and socially sustainable building behaviors. We articulate on the different applications of these facades, such as automated climate moderation, lighting, view and privacy control, and discuss their aesthetic, social, and cultural implications in light of new interaction paradigms that shape the experience of the space that they are manifested in. Author Keywords Smart windows, interaction design, interactive facade.
Architects use concepts about space to solve problems and to form designs. A design concept is the manifestation of the basic instability of our mental performance: it is a makeshift that provides general direction for exploration. In... more
Architects use concepts about space to solve problems and to form designs. A design concept is the manifestation of the basic instability of our mental performance: it is a makeshift that provides general direction for exploration. In synthesis architects explore concepts by inventing transitions that conclude to the description of artifacts. This study suggests that the process of synthesis, which is an act of human imagination, can be approached by the means of a calculus, as calculation. Taking into account the nature of design concepts and practices, as well as the developments in the field of shape computation, the study explains why and how computational methods can be applied in the process of synthesis of architectural form. Through a theoretical analysis, and actual design paradigms, it shows that shape computation can undertake conceptual and execution tasks in the studio. Thesis Supervisors: Terry Knight Title: Professor of Design & Computation George Stiny Title: Profess...
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Informed by twenty years of hands-on experimentation with autonomous and robotic systems in home prototypes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this study provides insight into the motivations and values of integrating computing... more
Informed by twenty years of hands-on experimentation with autonomous and robotic systems in home prototypes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this study provides insight into the motivations and values of integrating computing technologies in residential architecture. Although optimising home automation for energy efficiency, ergonomics, and climate control are shown to have benefits, applications intended to influence human behaviour remain questionable. The features of three home prototypes are presented to supply evidence for this claim: a Connected Sustainable Home that is a prototype of connected sustainability; the PlaceLab, a living laboratory for studying health-related home systems; and the CityHome, a series of robotically-transformable apartment prototypes. The case studies are of distinct scales, aim at heterogeneous objectives, and were implemented at different times. They are thematically linked through digital home automation. Evaluating these three prototypes enables the determination of design criteria for integrating autonomous and robotic systems in residential architecture and provokes reflection on the impact of autonomous systems on architectural practice.
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The design and realization of Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems using Artificially Intelligent (AI) agents is a rising field of research. However, the absence of clearly defined working criteria, supporting the generation and evaluation... more
The design and realization of Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems using Artificially Intelligent (AI) agents is a rising field of research. However, the absence of clearly defined working criteria, supporting the generation and evaluation of AmI agent system designs, is a conspicuous obstacle to their advancement. The contribution of this paper is that we determine and test a framework for the generation and evaluation of AmI system designs, based on user experience and business criteria. Specifically, the process of designing a personal lighting AI agent, in collaboration with a leading lighting design company, is used as a case study to determine and test a framework for the generation and evaluation of AmI system designs based on feasibility and acceptability. First, we use storytelling videos to describe and communicate the user values and design scenarios to the stakeholders. Second, we generate design proposals for a lighting AmI agent based on five distinct systemic factors, namely: (a) the context of interaction; (b) the required system data; (c) the required sensing input; (d) the required user input; and (e) the desired system output. Finally third we determine an evaluation framework that is based on three distinct levels of in-built system intelligence, from lower to higher. The three levels reflect the feasibility and acceptability of the system. Feasibility is what a specific company is capable of producing, and in what timeframe. Acceptability is the potential of familiarity and trust that the users can feel while interacting with the AI agent.
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A pair of formal grammars capturing a traditional Cretan bobbin lacemaking technique is defined. The analog, manual process of braiding and the craftsman's interaction with physical tools and materials determine making rules. Generating... more
A pair of formal grammars capturing a traditional Cretan bobbin lacemaking technique is defined. The analog, manual process of braiding and the craftsman's interaction with physical tools and materials determine making rules. Generating geometric configurations of lace pattern designs determines parametric shape rules and symmetry transformations. Pairing a grammar for braiding and a parametric shape grammar for designing captures the specified bobbin lacemaking technique and the generation of a traditional Cretan lace pattern language.
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Shape computation theory was developed for over 4 decades, demonstrating that designs can be described step-wise by formal rules similar to those of a mathematical system. A shape grammar is a rule-based system that generates a set of... more
Shape computation theory was developed for over 4 decades, demonstrating that designs can be described step-wise by formal rules similar to those of a mathematical system. A shape grammar is a rule-based system that generates a set of visual configurations (shapes) by capturing the interaction of spatial elements of 0, 1, 2 and 3 dimensions. Shape grammars include a calculating and a syntactic-interpretive part. The calculating part provides an algebraic framework for computations with shapes. The syntactic-interpretive part consists of productive rule statements assigning structure and meaning to shapes and their computations. This presentation includes useful teaching material for introducing shape grammars to students. Examples of spatial relationships and shape rules, Euclidean transformations and symmetry, as well as numerous derivations of designs are presented. 3D shapes from the spatial vocabulary of the Froebelian gifts are used in the examples. A version of these notes was presented in SIGRAPH2008.
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Shapes are perceived unanalyzed, without rigid representation of their parts. They do not comply with standard symbolic knowledge representation criteria; they are treated and judged by appearance. Resolving the relationship of parts to... more
Shapes are perceived unanalyzed, without rigid representation of their parts. They do not comply with standard symbolic knowledge representation criteria; they are treated and judged by appearance. Resolving the relationship of parts to parts and parts to wholes has a constructive role in perception and design. This paper presents a computational account of part–whole figuration in design. To this end, shape rules are used to show how a shape is seen, and shape decompositions having structures of topologies and Boolean algebras reveal alternative structures for parts. Four examples of shape computation are presented. Topologies demonstrate the relationships of wholes, parts, and subparts, in the computations enabling the comparison and relativization of structures, and lattice diagrams are used to present their order. Retrospectively, the topologies help to recall the generative history and establish computational continuity. When the parts are modified to recognize emergent squares...
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This paper presents an experimental method for monitoring and regulating thermal comfort at the interior of a house. It presents a function that was developed in MATLAB, aiming to compute the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted... more
This paper presents an experimental method for monitoring and regulating thermal comfort at the interior of a house. It presents a function that was developed in MATLAB, aiming to compute the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) indexes. Furthermore, an improvement of the MATLAB function was developed in the form of a Simulink simulation by using fuzzy logic. Although the method, at its current stage of development, cannot compute a PMV index value in the way it was intended, it does compute the operative temperature, allowing the residents to ascertain whether or not thermal comfort can be established in a particular indoor area. Keywords-thermal comfort; simulation; fuzzy logic.
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Architecture is not representational. It does not stand for something else. However, the process of its formation is inclusively dependent upon a series of dynamic graphic calculations that result into a series of spatial descriptions.... more
Architecture is not representational. It does not stand for something else. However, the process of its formation is inclusively dependent upon a series of dynamic graphic calculations that result into a series of spatial descriptions. This process can be equated to a non-linear sequence of computations with points, lines, planes, and solids, on the plane and in physical space. This study examines the functional and perceptual properties of points, lines and planes. How do basic elements behave in formal composition, and how do computations of form affect basic elements? The context of the study is composite. Shape computation theory that involves algebras of basic elements and shape rules provides a flexible and expressive computational apparatus, while the systematic approach of the Bauhaus on nonrepresentational composition, and the theories of P. Klee and V. Kandinsky in particular, provide artistic insight at a perceptual and interpretational level. Thesis Supervisor: Terry Kni...
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This paper presents an interactive fenestration system designed for the principal façade of a prototype sustainable dwelling. The system attains autonomous, responsive and interactive modes of operation, and is able to provide synchronous... more
This paper presents an interactive fenestration system designed for the principal façade of a prototype sustainable dwelling. The system attains autonomous, responsive and interactive modes of operation, and is able to provide synchronous response to a wide variety of environmental conditions and user needs. The method to address the design of the system was to integrate electro-active materials and real time sensing and control technologies. The test was to implement a full-scale façade with the abovementioned capabilities. This presentation discusses the features, technologies and reasoning followed in the design and implementation of the façade.
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Shape rules and rule schemata are compared in terms of their expressive and productive features in design inquiry. Two kinds of formal processes are discussed to facilitate the comparison. The first proceeds from shape rule instances and... more
Shape rules and rule schemata are compared in terms of their expressive and productive features in design inquiry. Two kinds of formal processes are discussed to facilitate the comparison. The first proceeds from shape rule instances and infers rule schemata that the shape rules can be defined in. The second proceeds from rule schemata and postulates shape rule instances that can be defined within the schemata. These two parallel processes mirror our intuition in design: the conceptual need to frame explicit actions within general frameworks of principles, and the productive need to supply general principles with an explicit system of actions.
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The design and realization of Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems using Artificially Intelligent (AI) agents is a rising field of research. However, the absence of clearly defined working criteria, supporting the generation and evaluation... more
The design and realization of Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems using Artificially Intelligent (AI) agents is a rising field of research. However, the absence of clearly defined working criteria, supporting the generation and evaluation of AmI agent system designs, is a conspicuous obstacle to their advancement. The contribution of this paper is that we determine and test a framework for the generation and evaluation of AmI system designs, based on user experience and business criteria. Specifically, the process of designing a personal lighting AI agent, in collaboration with a leading lighting design company, is used as a case study to determine and test a framework for the generation and evaluation of AmI system designs based on feasibility and acceptability. First, we use storytelling videos to describe and communicate the user values and design scenarios to the stakeholders. Second, we generate design proposals for a lighting AmI agent based on five distinct systemic factors, n...
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The strong association between computation and the built environment gives birth to new research approaches to urban design. Although these approaches enable the implementation of urban systems based on various collections of datasets,... more
The strong association between computation and the built environment gives birth to new research approaches to urban design. Although these approaches enable the implementation of urban systems based on various collections of datasets, they usually neglect human experience. To address this problem, our research identifies and quantifies spatial information and patterns of urban organization based on experience, by gathering two parallel types of user data: sensory and recollection. The presented experiment, executed in Copenhagen, Denmark with 23 participants, involves a walking task, and a recollection task. The walking task is 1 km walk from the Copenhagen Court House building to the Royal Danish Theatre through Strøget Street, while wearing eye-tracking spectacles. The recollection task includes the underlining-on a 3D photorealistic digital model-of the elements that the participants can recall from their walk. We monitor the eye movement of the participants to locally character...
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Abstract—The paper examines the process of introducing the rudiments of architectural design and computation through computer modeling, rendering and digital fabrication. The scope of the paper is educational. The context of the paper is... more
Abstract—The paper examines the process of introducing the rudiments of architectural design and computation through computer modeling, rendering and digital fabrication. The scope of the paper is educational. The context of the paper is the teaching of an introductory course to Design Computing. Computational concepts from the digital modeling, rendering and fabrication techniques developed for the course, as well as the students ’ response, are discussed in the paper.
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ABSTRACT
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Shape rules and rule schemata are compared in terms of their expressive and productive features in design inquiry. Two kinds of formal processes are discussed to facilitate the comparison. The first proceeds from shape rule instances and... more
Shape rules and rule schemata are compared in terms of their expressive and productive features in design inquiry. Two kinds of formal processes are discussed to facilitate the comparison. The first proceeds from shape rule instances and infers rule schemata that the shape rules can be defined in. The second proceeds from rule schemata and postulates shape rule instances that can be defined within the schemata. These two parallel processes mirror our intuition in design: the conceptual need to frame explicit actions within general frameworks of principles, and the productive need to supply general principles with an explicit system of actions.
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Shape computation theory was developed for over 4 decades, demonstrating that designs can be described step-wise by formal rules similar to those of a mathematical system. A shape grammar is a rule-based system that generates a set of... more
Shape computation theory was developed for over 4 decades, demonstrating that designs can be described step-wise by formal rules similar to those of a mathematical system. A shape grammar is a rule-based system that generates a set of visual configurations (shapes) by capturing the interaction of spatial elements of 0, 1, 2 and 3 dimensions. Shape grammars include a calculating and a syntactic-interpretive part. The calculating part provides an algebraic framework for computations with shapes. The syntactic-interpretive part consists of productive rule statements assigning structure and meaning to shapes and their computations. This presentation includes useful teaching material for introducing shape grammars to students. Examples of spatial relationships and shape rules, Euclidean transformations and symmetry, as well as numerous derivations of designs are presented. 3D shapes from the spatial vocabulary of the Froebelian gifts are used in the examples. A version of these notes was presented in SIGRAPH2008.
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A performance-driven application of shape grammars is presented. A parametric shape grammar that generates a language of pattern designs for the principal facade of a prototype house featuring a 5 x 20 matrix of electrochromic... more
A performance-driven application of shape grammars is presented. A parametric shape grammar that generates a language of pattern designs for the principal facade of a prototype house featuring a 5 x 20 matrix of electrochromic
windows—based equally on performance and aesthetic criteria is described. The adjustment of the chromatism and light transmittance of each individual windowpane on the facade enables the adjustment of solar radiation at the house interior.
The novel aspect of the grammar is that it encodes performance constraints of interior daylight illuminance and associates them to visual, symmetry principles of two-dimensional pattern generation. Twelve parametric rules account for the generation
of the fac¸ade pattern language and five subclasses account for the symmetry of the patterns in the language.
windows—based equally on performance and aesthetic criteria is described. The adjustment of the chromatism and light transmittance of each individual windowpane on the facade enables the adjustment of solar radiation at the house interior.
The novel aspect of the grammar is that it encodes performance constraints of interior daylight illuminance and associates them to visual, symmetry principles of two-dimensional pattern generation. Twelve parametric rules account for the generation
of the fac¸ade pattern language and five subclasses account for the symmetry of the patterns in the language.
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Real-time supply of computational power into built environments enables to re-address questions of user experience, comfort and building performance. This presentation discusses the features of responsive architecture through the example... more
Real-time supply of computational power into built environments enables to re-address questions of user experience, comfort and building performance. This presentation discusses the features of responsive architecture through the example of a ‘programmable window’ that was designed and deployed in a prototype house, in Trento, N. Italy. In the example the parts and functionalities of building skins
were revisited, to integrate advances in electroactive materials, information communication technologies and control systems engineering.
were revisited, to integrate advances in electroactive materials, information communication technologies and control systems engineering.
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This paper presents a programmable façade that contributes significant reduction in energy consumption by regulating the incoming sunlight into the interior of a residential building. Electrochromic and liquid crystal technologies allow... more
This paper presents a programmable façade that contributes significant reduction in energy consumption by regulating the incoming sunlight into the interior of a residential building. Electrochromic and liquid crystal technologies allow the modification of thermal transmittance and view, which are controlled by a model-based plan executive. Except from operating as climate moderator the façade functions as an interface mediating the dynamics between inside and outside, public and private. The interaction design challenge is how to renew the role of the façade to provide new ways of association between the private environment of the house and the public environment of the street, the residents among themselves and their neighbors, and ultimately the house and its urban context.
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Real-time supply of computational power into built environments enables to re-address questions of user experience, comfort and building performance. This presentation discusses the features of responsive architecture through the example... more
Real-time supply of computational power into built environments enables to re-address questions of user experience, comfort and building performance. This presentation discusses the features of responsive architecture through the example of a ‘programmable win-dow’ that was designed and deployed in a prototype house, in Trento, N. Italy. In the example the parts and functionalities of building skins were revisited, to integrate advances in electroactive materials, infor-mation communication technologies and control systems engineering.