Instructor: Humbi Song 
Summer 2026
Dates: TBD

Technology is spatial; digital systems depend on physical infrastructure such as data centers consuming land and energy, undersea cables across ocean floors, sensors embedded in walls, etc. Technology is also social; it shapes and is shaped by human life. It influences relationships between humans, social structures, power dynamics, the way people connect, and what people remember. 

Through these two lenses, the course investigates Responsive Architecture, which involves integrating computing power to the built environment in a way that may make it responsive to people, to climate, and to various systems of infrastructure. The consequences of this are that these technologies sometimes mediate human behavior in the built environment. The course draws upon the intersection of architecture and the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, and New Media, to explore this phenomenon. 

Using interactive technologies in design, (e.g. especially physical computing, sensors, and machine learning/AI), students will design and build interactive and responsive architectural installations. The course will result in a family of such pavilions and installations, which will be displayed in a public exhibition in the final weekend of the course. 
Students might benefit from, but are not required to have prior experience with physical computing and TouchDesigner software. All physical materials and hardware will be provided for by the course. Workshops will provide hands-on instruction in the necessary tools.
 

Application 

To apply, please submit a paragraph describing your interest in this Design Build course, five work samples (student work), and a short CV. 

This course is available to undergraduate Architectural Studies students in all streams who have completed ARC200H1 and ARC201H1 before Summer 2026. This includes fourth-year students graduating in June 2026. It is also open to MARC, MLA, and MUD students. 

Applications are to be submitted HERE. (Please note the form is limited to one submission for all summer courses. Further editing and amendments are NOT allowed after the form has been submitted.) 

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 09:00 AM EST.