University of Kentucky’s College of Design has a rigorous research and fabrication studio called PERFORMA. Professor Mike Mckay runs the studio and conducts research that involves the study of material systems and strategies to design multi-performance systems utilizing optimization, aggregation, and competence.
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The challenge at PERFORMA studio is to research methods that allow designers to create active recognized systems using minimal supplies and methods without the need to rely on speedy prototyping techniques. Professor Mckay removes the reliance of computer-aided software’s so the students are forced to experiment with materials and understand methods of a fabrication system so they have a better understanding of how tectonics work.
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The students gain insight into how the structure works. Mckay describes the students gaining the knowledge that just because it works in their study model that it probably won’t work in a full-scale self-structuring form.
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