GRI.D is the design research initiative of Danny Griffin, an ongoing investigation into bottom-up methods of assembly in the age of automation. GRI.D is an exercise in discovering design agency in a world of increasingly complex systems.

I approach architecture from a background in robotic fabrication and systems integration, experiences which have allowed me to see firsthand the entanglement of industrial technologies and everyday experience of space. This dichotomy imparted a deep fascination for how the tiniest details develop immense consequence at the scale of industrial and environmental systems. However, this experience also highlighted the pressing nature of current issues in the production of architecture at scale: advanced manufacturing investigations are inevitably bracketed between looming ecological catastrophe and impending labor automation.

Summer 2018, GT Digital Fabrication Lab

Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

M. Arch ‘22

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

BS. Arch ‘18

Skills

Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, Solidworks, 3DS Max, Maya, AutoCAD, Inventor, Revit
KuKA 6-axis robot, 5-axis mill, laser cutter, 3D printer, waterjet, masonry, metalworking
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, V-Ray, Premiere Pro, After Effects, charcoal, sketching

Payette, Boston, MA
Architectural Designer

Studio Other Spaces, Berlin, Germany
Architectural Designer

Studio J. Jih, Boston, MA

Research Lead

Zahner Labs, Kansas City, MO

Research & Development Intern

Digital Building Lab, Atlanta, GA

Research Assistant, Construction Automation

MIT SA+P, Cambridge, MA

Teaching Assistant


4.153 Core III Studio (Coordinator: Sheila Kennedy)
4.151 Core I Studio (Coordinator: Brandon Clifford)

4.022 Design Techniques and Technologies (Instructors: Thomas Heatherwick & J. Jih)

4.105 Geometric Disciplines & Architecture Skills (Instructor: J. Jih)

Georgia Tech College of Design, Atlanta, GA

Teaching Assistant
ARCH 8863: Intro to Robotic Fabrication (Instructor: Shani Sharif)

ARCH 8833: Robotic Fabricates (Instructors: Shani Sharif & Daniel Baerlecken)
ARCH 8833: Robotic Operations (Instructor: Keith Kaseman)
ARCH 8855: Core III Studio: Super-Utility Dronotypes (Instructor: Keith Kaseman)
ARCH 8833: Media & Modeling III (Instructor: Keith Kaseman)
ARCH 2211: History of Architecture I (Instructor: Michelle Rinehart)

MIT Department of Architecture, AIA Henry Adams Medal
UNI.XYZ Modern Winery Design Competition, 1st Place
MIT Core II People’s Pool Design Competition, 1st Place
MIT Department of Architecture, Graduate Fellowship
Lewis F. & Patricia R. Lanter Student Award, 1st Place in Design Excellence
Alpha Rho Chi Medal
School of Architecture, Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
World Architecture, Vol. 179 Cover Image
University System of Georgia, Outstanding Scholar Award
Morphosis Architects, NYC Externship
School of Architecture Portfolio Design Competition: 1st Place Senior
School of Architecture Portfolio Design Competition: 1st in Section
President’s Undergraduate Research Award
James Bowden Addy Memorial Scholarship
GT Center for Teaching & Learning, Undergraduate TA of the Year
Sophomore Design of Excellence, 1st Place
School of Architecture Portfolio Design Competition: 1st in Section
Mike Rice Design Competition: 2nd Place Individual Drawing Set