# Daniel Locatelli
> AEC software engineer based in Berlin. Architecture × Computation × AI.

## About
- [Homepage](https://daniellocatelli.com/): Bio, current role, contact.
- [CV](https://daniellocatelli.com/cv): Experience, education, skills.

## Projects
- [A harmonious cycle of interconnected nows](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_a-harmonious-cycle-of-interconnected-nows-by-artengineering): Sculpture by Olafur Eliasson. Aiding the detailing and prototyping; logistics for transportation.
- [AIDS](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_aids-by-artengineering): Technical and fabrication drawings.
- [Animale Jewelry](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_animale-jewelry-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Asha House](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_asha-house-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Automatic Cutting Pattern](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_automatic-cutting-pattern-by-ar-ingenieure): Development of automated cutting patterns for membranes.
- [BlastU 2019](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_blastu-2019-by-atelier-marko-brajovic): Architect in charge of design and supervision.
- [BuildSystems Ontology](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_buildsystems-ontology-by-buildsystems): Research on schemas, object models, and databases.
- [Camper Thailand](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_camper-thailand-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Carbon Filament Winding](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_carbon-filament-winding-by-icd-itke): Investigation of digital twins for small-scale carbon fiber winding.
- [Casa e Jardim Award 2019](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_casa-e-jardim-award-2019-by-atelier-marko-brajovic): Architect in charge of the stage design and trophy.
- [Coca Cola Taste Fashion](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_coca-cola-taste-fashion-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Data Visualization with Power BI](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_data-visualization-with-power-bi-by-buildsystems): Developed a workflow connecting Grasshopper data to Power BI.
- [Disney Wonder](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_disney-wonder-by-ar-ingenieure): Production of drawings for membrane fabrication.
- [Donum Pavilion](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_donum-pavilion-by-artengineering): Vertical Panorama Pavilion by Studio Other Spaces. Wine-tasting space. Aiding the detailing.
- [Ekoa Park](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_ekoa-park-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Embraer Pavilion](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_embraer-pavilion-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Hitchcock](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_hitchcock-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Homa Restaurant](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_homa-restaurant-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [InsideOut](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_insideout-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Ita House](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_ita-house-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Itaú Rock in Rio](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_itau-rock-in-rio-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Le Sandwich](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_le-sandwich): Converted a two-floors bank agency into a restaurant.
- [Live Talks](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_live-talks-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Margarita House](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_margarita-house): Full middle class house renovation.
- [Mechanical Bridge](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_mechanical-bridge-by-ar-ingenieure): Simulation of the bridge opening and closing.
- [Membranaustausch](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_membranaustausch-by-ar-ingenieure): Mechanical drawings and rendering of the facade.
- [MVV Canopy Forecourt](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_mvv-canopy-forecourt-by-ar-ingenieure): Form-finding of membrane structures using Kangaroo 2.
- [New Parking Garage Swissprintersarea](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_new-parking-garage-swissprintersarea-by-ar-ingenieure): Mechanical drawings and rendering of the facade.
- [ParaPivot](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_parapivot-by-artengineering): Five-meter steel and stone sculpture by Studio Alicja Kwade. Detailing of the structural framing.
- [Portfolio Website](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_portfolio-website): Developed this portfolio website using Astro, Three.js, Notion API, Supabase, and Claude.
- [Seilnetz Muttenz](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_seilnetz-muttenz-by-ar-ingenieure): Form-finding of the cable net structure and quantity takeoff.
- [The curious desert](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_the-curious-desert-by-artengineering): Art installations by Olafur Eliasson. Detailing of steel structure.
- [The First Blow](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_the-first-blow-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Urban Site Configurator](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_urban-site-configurator-by-buildsystems): Developed a Grasshopper configurator to create building envelopes.
- [Wave](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_wave-by-atelier-marko-brajovic)
- [Weather Protection Roman Wall](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_weather-protection-roman-wall-by-ar-ingenieure): Project coordination, membrane cover integrating the landscape.
- [Wood Research](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_wood-research-by-ar-ingenieure): Researching cutting-edge technology for wood construction.
- [ZERO Gas Station](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/_zero-gas-station-by-ar-ingenieure): Gas station typology. Rendering of the proposal.
- [Air Guitar by Atelier Marko Brajovic for Nike](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/air-guitar-by-atelier-marko-brajovic-for-nike): Atelier Marko Brajovic developed this site-specific installation for the celebration of the Air Max Day. In this project, I worked on the concept and the coordination. I also got to work with addressable LEDs, Arduino, and bass pickups.
- [Bar & Stage Heineken by Atelier Marko Brajovic](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/bar-stage-heineken-by-atelier-marko-brajovic-for-sherpa42): Architect in charge of the parametric design, production and supervision of the Heineken stage and bar installations at the MECA Festival 2018. The design used the Heineken star as the starting point for generating dynamic bamboo surfaces through parametric software.
- [Breathing earth sphere by ArtEngineering for Olafur Eliasson](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/breathing-earth-sphere-by-artengineering-for-olafur-eliasson): Olafur Eliasson commissioned ArtEngineering for computational engineering, digital fabrication, and logistics.
- [BuildSystems plugin for Grasshopper](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/buildsystems-plugin-for-grasshopper): Plugin developed for BuildSystems to create building components based on Environmental Products Declarations (EPDs). The idea was to offer Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) data right at the beginning of the design process.
- [BuildSystems Website](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/buildsystems-website): Developed the BuildSystems website using the Astro framework, leveraging the Notion API as a CMS.
- [Canyon by ArtEngineering for Katharina Grosse](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/canyon-by-artengineering-for-katharina-grosse): For this project, Katharina Grosse chose to sculpt with leather. The challenge here was translating the organic leather strips into folded steel plates. The solution was a strategy already used in boat production for millennia: developable surfaces.
- [Circular Component Creator by BuildSystems](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/circular-component-creator-by-buildsystems): Conceptual design study for a web application to browse, filter, and compare circular building components. Developed UI/UX mockups in Figma and defined the underlying data architecture.
- [Common Sky by ArtEngineering for Studio Other Spaces](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/common-sky-by-artengineering-for-studio-other-spaces): Studio Other Spaces contacted ArtEngineering for computational engineering, digital fabrication, and logistics. I became involved in the project's mid-development after digital fabrication had started. It was this very project that ultimately secured my position at Art Engineering. Initially, they needed someone to quickly export around 1.5 thousand 2D drawings from Rhino/Grasshopper to be sent for digital fabrication using a plasma cutter.
- [ICD Research Assistant as Computational Designer](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/icd-research-assistant-as-computational-designer): It was interesting to understand the computational strategy to generate the geometry for a self-curving cross-laminated timber plate. The trick here is to work with cylinders because timber's natural curvature happens perpendicular to the direction of the fibers.
- [ICD Research Assistant in Web Development](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/icd-research-assistant-in-web-development): I helped migrate the ICD website to the University of Stuttgart's centralized OpenCMS template. This project gave me my first contact with the German language and a deep appreciation for the ICD's research portfolio.
- [KfW Funding Calculator by BuildSystems](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/kfw-funding-calculator-by-buildsystems): This calculator simulates bank loans and subsidies, making sustainable constructions and renovations accessible to real estate developers and homeowners.
- [Life Lamp by Estúdio Guto Requena for Decimal](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/life-lamp-by-estudio-guto-requena-for-decimal): The design process is a hybrid between a top-down and a bottom-up approach. We worked both with predefined heart-like 3D models as the design base and with agent-based modeling, widely explored by Craig Reynolds in the 1980s. The programming part was developed using Grasshopper 3D, the two-week-old plugin Culebra v2.0 for the agent-based modeling in conjunction with the plugin Firefly to capture the heartbeats. This work became later a paper presented at the eCAADe 2020.
- [O3 Pavilion by Atelier Marko Brajovic for Docol](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/o3-pavilion-by-atelier-marko-brajovic-for-docol): The O3 Pavilion was conceptualized by the Atelier Marko Brajovic at the same time that I was taking my first steps into the computational design world. I had just graduated from FAU-USP with a thesis in which I learned all the tools necessary to finish this pavilion: Rhino, Grasshopper 3D and Kangaroo Physics.
- [Parada Coca-Cola by Atelier Marko Brajovic](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/parada-coca-cola-by-atelier-marko-brajovic): Parada Coca-Cola was my very first project where I applied computational design. This sensorial experience was inspired by the Coca-Cola bottle, mimicking the bubbles and colors of the drink.
- [Radom Raisting by AR Ingenieure](https://daniellocatelli.com/projects/radom-raisting-by-ar-ingenieure): Simulation of the deployment and collision avoidance for a 48.8m diameter inflatable radome protecting a parabolic antenna at the Raisting earth station.

## Research
- [Acropora Pavilion](https://daniellocatelli.com/research/acropora-pavilion): Acropora pavilion, a project developed for the course Biomimetics of the Master program ITECH from the ICD & ITKE University of Stuttgart. Acropora is a pavilion inspired by the growth of corals.
- [Affective Data Table](https://daniellocatelli.com/research/affective-data-table): The emotional design associated with computational design aims to rethink the entire industrial production chain and get closer to Industry 4.0. A transformation that affects the product's entire life cycle: design, manufacturing, and consumer behavior.
- [Architecture + Biomimicry + Algorithm](https://daniellocatelli.com/research/architecture-biomimicry-algorithm): This is an introductory study on the possibilities of applying computational design in architecture, focusing on form finding. To this end, case studies of great historical, technological, and artistic relevance were examined in order to analyze their respective design processes through reverse engineering using the Rhinoceros 3D software and its Grasshopper plug-in. It was found that biomimicry played a fundamental role in the researched projects and, therefore, serves as a guideline in this study. Finally, to consolidate the knowledge absorbed in this process, a temporary pavilion was proposed for FAU-USP.
- [Bending-active Bamboo](https://daniellocatelli.com/research/bending-active-bamboo): Research developed for the ITECH course Form and Structure. We were inspired by the ZCB Bamboo Pavilion, but we developed our own workflow using Grasshopper, Kangaroo Physics and K2Engineering.
- [Building Across Scales](https://daniellocatelli.com/research/building-across-scales): The research proposes a heterogeneous multi-scalar robotic construction system to further automate on-site timber construction. Specifically, it presents the next step in the automation of on-site gluing by introducing a custom clamping robot for the on-site pressuring of timber elements. Therefore, at the core of the research lies the development of the clamping robot as part of a larger robotic construction team, including an industrial robotic arm and an automated crane in co-design with the material and building system.
- [Differential growth in corals](https://daniellocatelli.com/research/differential-growth-in-corals): Research developed for the ITECH courses Computational Design and Biomimetics. We were inspired by how corals grow; the code was developed using Grasshopper and a custom Python component we created. In the Computational Design course, we learned to develop custom Grasshopper components using Python and C#.
- [ICD Research Assistant for Coreless Filament Winding](https://daniellocatelli.com/research/icd-research-assistant-for-coreless-filament-winding): Investigation of computational methods to predict carbon fiber interaction during coreless filament winding. I assisted Christoph Schlopschnat with resin preparation, small-scale physical tests, and photogrammetry.
- [ITKE Research Assistant for Coreless Filament Winding](https://daniellocatelli.com/research/itke-research-assistant-for-coreless-filament-winding): As a research assistant, I helped Marta Gil Pérez with the load tests of natural fiber specimens for the livMatS Pavilion. The main takeaway was about the relationship between computer simulation, physical experiments, and the researcher's intuition.

## Teaching
- [Architecture + Biomimetics + Algorithm](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_architecture-biomimetics-algorithm-at-ied)
- [Biomimetic Geometries](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_biomimetic-geometries)
- [Computational Architecture in Germany](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_computational-architecture-in-germany-uft): In this talk I presented the latest technologies in the computational design field in Germany, specially the ICD & ITKE at the University of Stuttgart and the company BuildSystems.
- [Computational Design: Strategies](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_computational-design-strategies-at-unip)
- [Emotional Design and Technology](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_emotional-design-and-technology-at-sebrae): A talk at MOVELPAR 2019, organized by SEBRAE, on how emotional design and technology intersect in contemporary furniture and product design.
- [Form-Finding with Grasshopper](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_form-finding-with-grasshopper)
- [BuildSystems - Smart Sustainability Roadmaps](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_graphisoft-x-2023): Learn about Smart Sustainability Roadmaps that enable systemic process innovations in planning. Topics such as demand-oriented and circular design, energy efficiency, life-cycle assessment, certifications, funding, and Pre-BIM Modelling are covered.
- [Grasshopper & Kangaroo Workshop](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_grasshopper-kangaroo-workshop): The students learned how to work with springs systems in order to simulate a cloth behavior
- [IntCDC Master’s Thesis Grant 2021 Award Ceremony](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_intcdc-masters-thesis-grant-2021)
- [Multi-scalar robotic fabrication system for on-site press gluing in multi-storey timber buildings](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_multi-scalar-robotic-fabrication-system-for-on-site-press-gluing-in-multi-storey-timber-buildings): In this talk we presented the results of our thesis project at the ITECH Master Program at the University of Stuttgart.
- [Private Revit Lessons](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_private-revit-lessons): Revit lessons from the basic principles to advanced techniques.
- [Round Table Debater](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_round-table-debater)
- [Working with Geographic Data in Grasshopper](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/_working-with-geographic-data-in-grasshopper)
- [A Decade After UNEMAT](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/a-decade-after-unemat): UNEMAT was the first university where I studied Architecture. Ten years after the beginning of my studies there, I presented this talk about my whole trajectory, from my university transfer to the FAU-USP, my work at Atelier Marko Brajovic, and my recent career shift, focusing more specifically on Computational Design and programming.
- [Adaptive Grasshopper Workshop](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/adaptive-grasshopper-workshop): In addition to learning the basics of Grasshopper for Rhinoceros, participants were able to decide the direction of the course by choosing which computational design strategy to explore. In this case, they chose Exoskeleton.
- [Architecture + Biomimicry + Algorithm](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/architecture-biomimicry-algorithm-at-ifro): During my visit to my hometown, I proposed a lecture to the architecture and urbanism course of the Federal Institute of Rondônia - IFRO. I presented some works and research that I had done so far and discussed the future of the profession amid so many technological changes.
- [Computational Architecture in Germany](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/computational-architecture-in-germany-uft): In this talk I presented the main computational design technologies in Germany, especially the ICD & ITKE at the University of Stuttgart and the company BuildSystems, connecting that trajectory to my own path between Atelier Marko Brajovic, ITECH in Stuttgart, and industry in Munich.
- [Digital Futures 2023: Novos Hibridismos](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/digital-futures-2023): This session, opening the DigitalFutures series in Portuguese, brings together different innovative practices within the scope of computational methodologies applied in architecture and design, where artificial intelligence, generative algorithms, parametric design, robotics manufacturing, materials science, and biomimetics are part of a hybrid repertoire.
- [Digital Futures 2026: Entre o Prompt e a Obra](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/digital-futures-2026): Talk on the journey from biomimicry to systems thinking and what's missing in AI for architecture: the perspective of a Brazilian architect trained and working in Germany.
- [Feasibility of Sustainable Construction](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/feasibility-of-sustainable-construction-by-buildsystems-at-siemens): A pitch at the Siemens RIE Munich Conference on how computational tools can generate data to make sense of sustainability in the construction industry — from urban analysis to life-cycle assessment.
- [Models byNature 1.0](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/models-bynature-10): This workshop sought to connect computational design practices with natural phenomena, addressing topics such as associative modeling, biomimetics and visual programming language.
- [Models byNature 2.0](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/models-bynature-20): The second edition of the Models byNature workshop expanded on the first with four Saturdays of parametric design with Grasshopper inspired by nature, covering form-finding experiments, computational modeling, and biomimetics at Atelier Marko Brajovic in São Paulo.
- [Nature and Digital: Reproducing Natural Processes with Computational Design](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/nature-and-digital-reproducing-natural-processes-with-computational-design-at-puc): In this talk, I presented my work, the idea of reproducing natural processes with computational design, and key points I learned during my recently concluded master thesis in Germany.
- [Parametric Design Inspired by Nature](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/parametric-design-inspired-by-nature-at-semana-design-rio): A talk at Semana Design Rio 2018 exploring seven principles from nature applied to parametric design, with project case studies from Atelier Marko Brajovic.
- [Tensegrity Workshop](https://daniellocatelli.com/teaching/tensegrity-workshop): A team-building workshop where we collectively built a tensegrity structure, discovering how the balance of forces in the structure mirrored our own collaborative dynamics.

## Publications
- [Multi-scalar robotic fabrication system for on-site press gluing in multi-storey timber buildings](https://daniellocatelli.com/publications/_building-across-scales): This paper presents a heterogeneous multi-scalar robotic construction system for on-site timber construction, introducing a custom clamping robot for in-situ press gluing of timber elements as part of a larger robotic construction team.
- [Algorithmic Design for Traditional Bobbin Lace Methods](https://daniellocatelli.com/publications/algorithmic-design-for-traditional-bobbin-lace-methods): This paper investigates the potential application of digital tools in designing and fabricating textile weaves through the combined use of form finding and the traditional bobbin lace technique.
- [Automatic Column Placement](https://daniellocatelli.com/publications/automatic-column-placement): This paper presents a feedback-based computational method for placing columns in the early design phase of complex multi-story structures. The method integrates a circle packing algorithm, a spring system, and structural engineering simulations within a single script for the reciprocal and informed arrangement of columns in the space. While allowing the users to have an explorative approach, it empowers diverse potentials in multi-story constructions, including additional cantilevering spaces around the boundary, increased spatial qualities with large span possibilities, multidirectional structural arrangements, and multi-purpose use of space. As a result, the developed algorithm allows for flexibility by leveraging the design possibilities of grid-based and irregular column arrangements. It promotes the integration of structural and design-related constraints in the spatial organization of various building typologies.
- [Computational Design Strategies](https://daniellocatelli.com/publications/computational-design-strategies): Here I present a compilation of strategies I have encountered over the nine years since I started my studies in this fascinating area! Everyone who begins to study computational design learns this compilation of information in one way or another. Some build libraries of links and files; others store them in their heads. However, this is information that everyone learns after many years of research.
- [High-Low as Expression of the Brazilian Digital Fabrication](https://daniellocatelli.com/publications/high-low-as-expression-of-the-brazilian-digital-fabrication): This paper investigates the concept of high-low: high technology in the design phase with low technology in the fabrication phase. The ephemeral architecture has the potential to combine academic and artistic knowledge in Brazilian commercial production. One experimental case study designed for Expo Revestir for Docol in 2017 is presented here, balancing the paradigm of computational design with the academic field and viable commercial applications.
- [Life Lamp: Connecting Design and People Through Emotion](https://daniellocatelli.com/publications/life-lamp-connecting-design-and-people-through-emotion): The design process is a hybrid between a top-down and a bottom-up approach. We worked both with predefined heart-like 3D models as the design base and with agent-based modeling, widely explored by Craig Reynolds in the 1980s. The programming part was developed using Grasshopper 3D, the two-week-old plugin Culebra v2.0 for the agent-based modeling in conjunction with the Firefly plugin to capture the heartbeats. This work became later a paper presented at the eCAADe 2020.

## Optional
- [Portuguese index](https://daniellocatelli.com/pt/llms.txt)
- [German index](https://daniellocatelli.com/de/llms.txt)