Structural Design Workshop / Design-Build Exploration / 2026
Exhibition Location: Southeast University, Nanjing, China
Construction Period: 19–23 October 2026
Joint Organisers: [S]Equilibrium Lab, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; School of Architecture, Southeast University
Project Team: Shuaizhong Wang (CUHK) , Yuchi Shen (SEU)
Teaching Assistant: Hairuo Sun (CUHK)
Participants: Students from Southeast University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Reconfiguring Nature is a structural design workshop jointly conceived and organised by the [S]Equilibrium Lab at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the School of Architecture at Southeast University. Bringing together students from both universities, the workshop integrates graphic statics, structural design with natural materials, and material reuse through a collaborative approach to architectural and structural design.
The initiative began with branches broken from trees on the Southeast University campus during a typhoon in 2024. These irregular natural elements prompted a design question: how can available materials, with their existing geometries and physical characteristics, become the starting point for new structures? Through design and construction explorations, the workshop investigated how digital methods can support the reuse of non-standard materials as building components.
The teaching process comprised four stages: component scanning, structural form-finding, component matching, and design exploration. Students first selected and documented available materials, translating physical components into three-dimensional models and compiling digital material inventories. This process introduced material identification and digital component passports as foundations for design.
During form-finding and component matching, two-force member models helped students understand equilibrium and distinguish between tension and compression. FAF (Form & Force), VGS Tool, and reuse-oriented form-finding tools supported the exploration of structural configurations within the geometric constraints of available components. Rather than treating material selection as a later step, students worked with the material inventory as an active input to structural and spatial design.
Physical models were then compared with digital form-finding results to refine structural logic, connection strategies, and design proposals. Through this iterative process, students explored a design approach in which architectural form develops through negotiation between material availability, structural equilibrium, and assembly.
Reconfiguring Nature positions circular construction as both a design practice and a teaching method. Its explorations connect material documentation with structural reasoning and hands-on experimentation, demonstrating how the particular qualities of existing materials can guide new architectural possibilities.