Muq

As a key part of the development of the MuQ plugin, this studio was delivered during the third semester of Pars University’s master’s program in Technology and Architecture, within the Digital Design course. The studio began by examining the advanced geometries of Islamic architectural heritage, with particular attention to muqarnas. Students studied Iranian examples and the muqarnas database assembled by Shiro Takahashi. MuQ was developed in parallel with the course and distributed to students as a work-in-progress add-on for documenting their explorations.

The studio proposed a topology-based reconsideration of this elaborate craft. Whereas both traditional and contemporary digital methods commonly construct muqarnas from geometric modules, this approach used a module-free procedure that prioritized its topology over its established formal vocabulary.

Using the MuQ plugin, students translated freehand spatial sketches into possible muqarnas configurations. Their work was prototyped in 25 × 25 cm cubes, representing either one quarter of a dome or half of an entrance gate. All prototypes were 3D-printed and presented for review. The studio outcomes and the plugin’s potential were also presented at ACADIA 2017 at MIT.