An experiment within the DFL.
Project coordination: José Pedro Sousa
Design team: Pedro de Azambuja Varela, Pedro Martins
Photographs: Carlos de Albuquerque Castro

An experiment within the DFL.
Project coordination: José Pedro Sousa
Design team: Pedro de Azambuja Varela, Pedro Martins
Photographs: Carlos de Albuquerque Castro

The Post-Tensioned Stereotomic Arch explores how natural stone can be reintroduced into contemporary construction through a combination of historical stereotomic principles and digital design workflows. At a time when reinforced concrete and steel remain major contributors to global carbon emissions, the project investigates compression-based structural systems that rely on low-impact materials with minimal transformation. Stone, […]
This paper describes the theory and practical experiments on the development of a system for the deployment of stereotomic voussoirs. The recent availability of digital design and fabrication tools has enabled architects to embrace stereotomic thinking, allowing for the efficient spanning of spaces with low tensile capable materials such as stone. The proposed fabrication system […]
Architecture project developed by Pedro de Azambuja Varela and Renata Pinho. The redesign of this apartment had to deal with specific issues: replace the existing floor, redesign the kitchen while keeping the laundry space, and create lots of storage room; while the bathrooms and master bedroom intervention is a welcome bonus to the essential. Walls […]
Poster presented in the Nexus 2012 – Relationships Between Architecture and Mathematics. This presentation was about the relation of a complex geometry with constructive constraints.
Pick Grasshopper components directly from their preview geometry in the Rhino viewport. About GHPick GHPick provides reverse selection between the Rhino viewport and Grasshopper. In large Grasshopper definitions, finding which component is responsible for a particular piece of preview geometry can mean searching across a large canvas. GHPick reverses that workflow: start from the geometry […]
Architecture project by Pedro de Azambuja Varela, Maria João de Oliveira and Emmanuel Novo. Following the 2012/13 edition of the Advanced Program in Digital Architecture (CEAAD), promoted by FAUP and ISCTE-IUL, the company AMORIM Isolamentos challenged the Course to design their Pavilion for the CONCRETA 2013 Fair. The students that developed their final research on cork […]
This paper focuses on the development of a BIM (Building Information Modeling) tool for stereotomic design, aiming to create a bridge between academic research and practical implementation of stereotomy in the construction sector. The creation of a stereotomic BIM tool enhances the use of compressive materials within funicular shapes to minimize reliance on carbon-intensive steel-reinforced […]
Final thesis of the Architecture course at Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto.
This is a design I’ve developed together with Joana Fraga for Pearl Cork. The bed itself is made of cork, and was routed from a single block of cork agglomerate with a multiple axis robotic arm.
The School of Architecture of Aarhus organizes the HARD CO(u)R(s)E DIGITAL, a set of workshops focused in digital technologies in a pre-holiday format. The key factors in the CorkVault workshop were the use of ICB (Insulation Cork Board), a 5-axis waterjet cutter and Kangaroo along with Grasshopper, so that a full-scale pavillion could be built. […]
All content © Copyright 2026 by Pedro de Azambuja Varela.
Subscribe to RSS Feed