About

epidermis

[ep-i-dur-mis]

1. Anatomy. the outer, nonvascular, nonsensitive layer of the skin, covering the true skin or corium.
2. Zoology. the outermost living layer of an animal, usually composed of one or more layers of cells.
3. Botany. a thin layer of cells forming the outer integument of seed plants and ferns.

The epidermis (From the Greek epi, on top and derma, the skin) is the skin’s outer structure serving a protective function. It is a single-layer of cells that covers the leaves, flowers, roots and stems of plants. It forms a boundary between the plant and the external environment. The epidermis serves several functions, it protects against water loss, regulates gas exchange, secretes metabolic compounds, and (especially in roots) absorbs water and mineral nutrients.

Epidermis – Parametric Workshop was an intensive introductory workshop on parametric design in Grasshopper. It was taught by Ioanna Symeonidou and involved lectures on computational design and hands-on exercises.

Upon completion of the course, the students submitted a small assignment of an Epidermis a parametric skin, for a fictional or existing building. Part of the exercise was to parametrically apply the proposed design scheme to different massing options, of well-known buildings, testing the adaptability of the design and the associativity among parts that comprise the structure.

Epidermis Parametric Design Workshop was part of the Techne Section of postgraduate course Advanced Design: Innovation and Transdisciplinarity in Architectural Design at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

More information on the postgraduate program can be found on the programs official website or the Facebook page.