tranSTUDIO

tranSTUDIO

Adaptive Thoughts, Design, and Fabrication

2014-present | California College of the Arts, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech

Links: Studio in Transformation: Transformation in Studio

tranSTUDIO
Founded and directed by Negar Kalantar since 2014 at Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, and California College of the Arts, tranSTUDIO is a design-research studio focused on adaptive building systems and computational design processes. It builds on years of research in transformable architecture, innovative manufacturing, and smart materials, supported by grants from the NSF, Autodesk Technology Centers, and other institutions.

At its core, tranSTUDIO explores the integration of digital platforms, advanced fabrication, and responsive systems in architectural design. The studio fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and challenges students to engage with real-time morphological changes in building skins and structures. Students navigate between digital tools and hands-on prototyping, engaging in two core pedagogical frameworks developed through this teaching-research model:

Pedagogy of Motion
This method emphasizes incorporating motion studies into architectural education. Students learn the theories and practical strategies behind transformable systems, understanding how movement and adaptability shape contemporary design. tranSTUDIO provides a structured framework for teaching these principles—rarely addressed in traditional curricula—through iterative design processes.
Pedagogy of Computational Craft
Addressing the shift from manual to digital craft, this approach helps students integrate digital fabrication tools with physical making. Beyond using software as a form-finding tool, students critically engage with material realities, merging computational design with craftsmanship. The focus is not just on technological novelty but on creating architecturally meaningful, contextually relevant solutions.

Through tranSTUDIO, students balance experimentation and critical thinking, moving beyond visually driven parametric forms toward applications that embody both aesthetic and functional intelligence.