STF#9 - 2025: Presentations
Shaping Complexity: Digital Strategies for large-scale Infrastructure Design
Grimshaw
Grimshaw
Shaping Complexity: Digital Strategies for large-scale Infrastructure Design - A collaborative team of architects and Design Technology specialists will explore Grimshaw's innovative approach to Shenzhen East Airport Transport Hub, a large-scale infrastructure project. This project exemplifies Grimshaw’s philosophy of integrating design and technology, drawing inspiration from nature, and pushing the limits of geometric, structural, and interoperability complexity.
Shenzhen East Airport Transport Hub integrates an airport, train and metro station under a vast roof spanning over 165,000m². The space is defined by a mega-scale modular organic structure with a 48mx48m column grid, inspired by the mangrove tree. Through an interdisciplinary, collaborative process, these organic forms were guided by structural performance and were continuously refined and optimized during the design process thanks to computational design workflows.
The need to maintain flexibility and adaptability, while accelerating and expanding the design exploration space, led to the creation of innovative tools and workflows that enabled effective problem-solving and optimized design outcomes.
Images Credit: ©Grimshaw
Andy Barnes - Andy is an architect and principal at Grimshaw where he leads transport, cultural, and master planning projects in the UK and internationally. Andy is accredited by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) reflecting his passion for creating buildings and places that balance the built environment with natural ecosystems and advocating for regenerative design at all scales.
Andy’s approach to design, which draws on the beauty and efficiency of nature to deliver transformational change is best exemplified in his long-term collaboration with Eden Project which includes new destinations in Morecambe and Qingdao, and his recent award-winning work at Shenzhen Airport East International Transport Hub in China.
Esther Rubio Madroñal - Esther is a Senior Computational Design Specialist and a registered architect. She has contributed to multiple large-scale projects at Grimshaw Architects, with a focus on automation and optimization. She previously worked for a specialist facade contractor, focusing on manufacturing and fabrication scale.
Esther's work centres on integrating advanced digital tools and computational workflows to enhance design efficiency and innovation. Esther is also an Associate Lecturer at Oxford Brookes and has organised and delivered multiple workshops ranging from fabrication to data driven approach for urban design and master planning.
Websites:
Grimshaw
Grimshaw - Design Technology