Studio Saffarian

Head

assistant professor

Architecture today stands at a crossroads. While the built environment contributes nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, we also have access to unprecedented digital tools and sustainable materials that can reshape how we design and build. The Studio explores this tension, teaching students to harness technology not as an end in itself, but as a means to create more responsive, sustainable, and beautiful buildings.

We work across seven interconnected areas of research. Students might explore how building facades can automatically adjust to weather conditions, or how wood can be shaped using computer-controlled machines to create structures impossible to build by hand. They might investigate how virtual reality can help craftspeople work more precisely, or how 3D printing concrete could make custom buildings as affordable as mass-produced ones. Each project connects digital innovation with real-world challenges, from reducing urban traffic emissions to preserving traditional building knowledge for future generations.

The goal is not to replace human creativity with technology, but to amplify it. We want students to understand both the power and limits of digital tools, to see materials not just as static resources but as collaborators in the design process, and to approach every project with questions: How can this building respond to its environment? How can its construction have a positive impact? How can it be more than just functional - how can it be meaningful?