PERFORMATIVE POROSITY: Architectural Déjà Vu

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BACKGROUND Contemporary urban environments increasingly demand spatial systems that enable permeability, adaptability, and fluid transitions between public and private domains. The concept of porosity has emerged as a critical paradigm in urban and architectural design, challenging rigid boundaries and enabling more responsive and interconnected spatial configurations. Advances in computational design and digital fabrication have further expanded the possibilities for generating complex, porous geometries and material systems. However, a critical gap remains in translating these spatial concepts into coherent tectonic systems that integrate algorithmic design, material behaviour, and fabrication processes. This project addresses this gap by investigating porosity as a performative architectural strategy, enabled through generative design and advanced fabrication technologies.

CONTRIBUTION Performative Porosity: Architectural Déjà Vu is a design research project and exhibition that explores the relationship between spatial permeability, digital tectonics, and fabrication-driven design. The project develops a series of small-scale architectural prototypes that speculate on new design methodologies for urban renewal through porous spatial systems. As project lead, Dr Nic Bao conceived and developed the conceptual framework, computational design approach, and fabrication strategy. The project integrates algorithmic design, additive manufacturing, and robotic fabrication to generate complex porous geometries and material assemblies. The work explores the application of high-performance composite materials—drawing inspiration from aerospace and automotive industries—to reimagine architectural components and systems. Through this approach, the project proposes a new tectonic language in which material, structure, and spatial organisation are co-defined through digital processes. By combining generative design with fabrication constraints, the project demonstrates how highly intricate, non-standard architectural systems can be produced with precision, enabling new forms of spatial expression and material performance.

SIGNIFICANCE The project was selected for the Italian Virtual Pavilion at the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale as part of the CITYX Venice Virtual Pavilion, curated by an international curatorial team including Maria Perbellini, Marcella Del Signore, Alessandro Melis, Patrik Schumacher, Daniela Ghertovici, and Tom Kovac. The Virtual Pavilion was officially connected to the Italian Pavilion of the Biennale, extending the reach of the exhibition through a global digital platform. The programme brought together 22 Creative Directors from leading institutions, who collectively selected approximately 300 architects exploring new forms of design practice in response to complex global challenges. This selection evidences strong international recognition within a highly competitive curatorial context. The project was subsequently realised as a physical prototype and exhibited in a public garden in China as part of Shanghai Design Week 2023, demonstrating its translation from digital speculation to material implementation. Performative Porosity contributes to emerging research in digital tectonics, generative design, and advanced fabrication. It proposes a new architectural approach to urban porosity, integrating spatial design, material systems, and fabrication technologies to support adaptive, permeable, and technologically driven built environments.