Barbara Zandavali

Areas of responsibility  

Barbara supports staff and students using the Digital Fabrication Lab (dfUEL). She oversees the lab and assists on processes as 3D scanning, 3d printing, milling, forming, and robotics. Barbara supports with CAD files and algorithm development for digital manufacturing of three dimensional work.

Areas of special interest

Barbara is a computational designer with background in Architecture and Graphic Design. After her graduation from Federal University of Parana, she worked in practices focused on sustainability and manufacturing. She completed her first master’s degree in architecture at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil with a focus on Computational Modelling. Her thesis explored the use of Generative Systems and Daylight Analysis for performative urban rules design.

In 2017, Barbara moved to London to study for a Master’s Research Degree in Architectural Computation at University College London. During this period, she deepened her knowledge of programming and automation. Her thesis focused on Machine Vision for adaptation of Robots to construction sites. Alongside her work as a Technical Demonstrator, Barbara is currently co-teaching Unit 4 at M.Arch in Architecture (RIBA Part II). The unit ethos aims to explore how geometry can play a role into structural performance and digital manufacturing in multi-storey buildings

Barbara’s main research interests lay in topics as machine intelligence, robotics in construction, cognition and generative art. An interest in ways that machine and human intelligence can collaborate and innovate underlies all Barbara’s research and gives a clear basis to her work at University of East London.