Can Columbia’s congested Making Studio be improved? This was the question that launched our project: is it possible to create a system that is efficient, safe, and universally adaptable using Grasshopper and Python?
Currently, Columbia’s Making Studio presents a number of spatial challenges. The layout—where machines and desks are intermingled—poses safety risks, and although desks are designed to be movable, they are often grouped together and monopolized by a single user, leading to inefficiency. In response, Columbia is considering expanding the studio. However, even with expansion, we aimed to propose a system that would maximize the existing space’s utility.
First, using Grasshopper and Python scripting, we developed a tool to identify meaningful walls by detecting openings in the studio’s floor plan. Once the user inputs the dimensions of the machines, the system automatically arranges them along the walls, maintaining a safe buffer zone and prioritizing placements near windows for better ventilation and access to power connections. This ensures that machines are safely and efficiently distributed along the periphery.
Next, the system calculates a safe buffer zone around the machines to define a central area for desk placement. Within this boundary, a center of mass is determined, and desks are arranged in a grid pattern radiating outward, based on user-defined spacing. Users can also choose to generate desk clusters in multiples of two or four, depending on their needs. Additionally, trash bins—essential to any making studio—are automatically placed within the grid. Their number and positions are calculated in proportion to the total number of desks, with bins placed at intersections of every four desks.
This system is not limited to Columbia’s Making Studio. As long as a floor plan is available, it can be instantly applied to any space. To demonstrate its versatility, we tested it on the floor plan of the University at Buffalo’s upcoming making studio, verifying the system’s potential as a truly universal solution.
