Tzu-Chieh Kurt Hong, PhD, MSEE
Assistant Ptofessor
School of Architecture and Design
University of Kansas, Lawrence KS

1465 Jayhawk Blvd, Room #113
Lawrence, KS 66049

kurt.hong@ku.edu
k9krnd.net



Research
    Shape Machine

Teaching
    Design Build Studio
    Parametric Modeling
    Algorithmic Design
    Digital Applications in Design

About
Publications
CV
Portfolio


Tzu-Chieh Kurt Hong, PhD, MSEE

Assistant Professor
School of Architecture and Design
University of Kansas, Lawrence KS
k9krnd.net

About    |    Publications    |    CV    |    Portfolio

Tzu-Chieh Kurt Hong, PhD

Assistant Professor of Architecture
School of Architecture and Design
University of Kansas, Lawrence KS

kurt.hong@ku.edu
k9krnd.net
Dr. Tzu-Chieh Kurt Hong is an assistant professor of the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Kansas. His current research is in both computation and design, including digital fabrication, algorithmic design, generative modeling, computer-aided design, visual computing, shape programming language and computational geometries.

In general, his research is aiming to bridging computing and desing driven by his dual professional backgrounds, that is, electrical enginnering and architecture design. Not only applying computing technologies to designs, such as generative modeling, algorithmic design and digital fabrication, but also contributing to computing with the notions of architecture design, for example, visual computing and shape programming language.

Dr. Tzu-Chieh Kurt Hong earned his PhD degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2021; his MS-Arch degree from the University of Michigan; and his MArch degree from the National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan. Before he shifted to architecture, he had been working as a professional digital circuit engineer for four years. He earned his MS-EE degree and BS-EE degree from the National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan.

His PhD dissertation, Shape Machine: shape embedding and rewriting in visual design, is a research work on the implementation of a visual computing system, Shape Machine, which allows designers to visually process shape embedding and shape replacement in computer-aided design system. This dissertation received ARCC (Architectural Research Centers Consotium) Dissertation Award 2022, because of the contributions of shape recognition to CAD systems.

Shape Machine has been used in digital fabrication studio in the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Kansas since 2022. And, it has been adopted in three design studios and two elective courses in the School of Architecture and the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology since 2019.

Positions


Assistant Professor (2022-Now)
School of Architecture and Design
University of Kansas

PhD Instructotr (2019-2021)
School of Architecture
Georgia Institute of Technology

Lecturer (2014-2015)
Transdisciplinary Design Innovation Shop (TDIS)
National Chiao Tung University

Digital Circuit Designer (2009-2011)
, Agilogic Co., Taiwan
Digital Circuit Designer (2008-2009), Synerchip Co., Taiwan

Education


PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dissertation:
SHAPE MACHINE: Shape Embedding and Rewriting in Visual Design. PhD Dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA.

MS-Arch, University of Michigan
MArch, National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan)
MSEE, National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan)
BSEE, National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan)


Selected Publications


Hong TK, Ligler H (forthcoming) The Isovist Grammar: Automating Isovists and Isovist Fields with Visual Rules. SiGraDi 2024.

Hong TK, Bhuiyan F (forthcoming) Revisit Frei Otto: Equal-length Mesh Algorithm for 3D Surfaces. SiGraDi 2024.

Hong TK, Park J (forthcoming) Alberti’s Computation: Implementing Perspectival Transformation in Shape Machine. 7th Symposium Formal Methods in Architecture (7FMA).

Hong TK (2024) From Lines to Curves: Implementation of Shape Embedding for Circular Arcs and Circles in 2D CAD Systems. In: Kotsopoulos, S.D. (eds) 50-year Anniversary of Shape Grammars. Springer.

Economou A, Hong TK, Newton R (2024) Shape meets Euclid: Integrating shape computation with ruler and compass procedures. Automation in Construction (AiC). ISSN 0926-5805
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2024.105562

Hong TK, Economou A (2023) Implementation of Shape Embedding in CAD Systems. Automation in Construction (AiC). Vol 146. ISSN 0926-5805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2022.104640

Economou A, Hong TK (2022) Back to the Drawing Board: Shape Calculations in the Shape Machine. Design Computing and Cognition. (DCC) eds: J. S. Gero, Springer.

Hong TK, Economou A (2022) What Shape Grammars Do that CAD Should: The 14 Cases of Shape Embedding. Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing.

Hong TK, Economou A (2022). Five Criteria for Shape Grammar Interpreters. In: Gero, J.S. (eds) Design Computing and Cognition’20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90625-2_11

Okhoya V, Bernal M, Economou A, Saha N, Vaivodiss R, Hong TK, Haymaker J (2022) Generative Workplace and Space Planning in Architectural Practice. International Journal of Architectural Computing.

Yu Y, Hong TK, Economou A, Paulino GH (2021) Rethinking Origami: A Generative Specification of Origami Patterns with Shape Grammars. Computer-Aided Design, Volume 137.

Economou A, Hong TK, Ligler H, and Park J (2020) Shape Machine: A Primer in Visual Composition, J.-H. Lee (ed.), A New Perspective of Cultural DNA, KAIST Research Series, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd, pp. 65-92.


Coming soon

Hong TK (forthcoming) Shape Machine 3D: Shape Rewriting System for Lines and Arcs in Three-dimensional Space.

Hong TK (forthcoming) Herds of Architecture I: Enumerating Configurations of Tetris Blocks with Shape Rules.

Hong TK (forthcoming) Herds of Architecture II: Automating House Plans with Shape Rules.

Hong TK (forthcoming) Herds of Architecture III: Automating Isometric Drawings with Shape Rules.

Hong TK (forthcoming) DrawScripts: Non-Classical Programming Language.

Hong TK (forthcoming) Parametric Table Legs: Grammar for CNC Cutting Files Implemented in Shape Machine for Digital Fabrication.

Hong TK (forthcoming) Unsharpened Pencils: Fabrication of a NURB Surface with Standard Materials by Re-Allocating Complexity.


Under Cooking

Herds of Architecture: Automation of House Plan in Shape Machine
Revisit Flatwriter: Implemantation of Open System in Shape Machine
Visual Parametricism: Parametric Portico Study in Shape Machine
Seeing is Checking: Implementation of Quality Control in Shape Machine
Drafting Grammars: Axonometric Drawing Without 3D Models in Shape Machine
SmartDraw: Shape Rules without Template
Tracing Paper: Implemention of Layers in Shape Machine
Revisit Ann Tyne: Parametric City Tower

ResearchGate


Teaching


@University of Kansas


2023 Spring
ARCH509 Design Build Studio - Part II
ARCH509 Design Build Studio - Part I
ARCH510 Architecture Detailing

2022 Fall
ARCH108 Architecture Foundations I
ARCH600 Parametric Modeling


@Georgia Institute of Technology


2022 Spring  
CS8803 Shape Machine

2021 Fall
ARCH7030 Media Modeling III
ARCH8833 Design Scripting
ARCH6049 Design + Research Studio

2021 Spring
ARCH8833 Design Scripting

2019 Fall
ARCH7030 Media Modeling III

2019 Spring
ARCH7030 Media Modeling II
ARCH8833 Inquiry in Design Computation

2018 Fall
ARCH6508 Shape Grammars
ARCH6049 Design + Research Studio


Tzu-Chieh Kurt Hong, PhD, MSEE
Assistant Professor of Architecture
School of Architecture and Design
University of Kansas
k9krnd.net