NCCR DFAB Alumnus Driving Digital Fabrication in Canada

NCCR DFAB Alumnus Aryan Rad built on his traditional training in structural engineering and developed an interdisciplinary approach that brings together architecture, computational methods, and digital fabrication to advance sustainable construction. Today, he continues the spirit of digital fabrication as a professor at the University of Toronto, where we visited him at the Structural Testing Facilities at the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering.

Aryan Rad joined the NCCR Digital Fabrication in 2016 as a PhD researcher and continued as a postdoctoral researcher until 2022. Trained initially as a structural engineer, Aryan describes himself at the start as a “one-dimensional nerd,” focused on problems from a single perspective. The NCCR DFAB challenged him to think differently, encouraging collaborative approaches across disciplines and inspiring him to explore the intersection of engineering, architecture, and digital fabrication.

The lasting Impact of NCCR DFAB

Reflecting on his NCCR DFAB experience, Aryan emphasizes how it shaped not only his research methods but also his professional philosophy. “DFAB made me think outside the box and look at problems and challenges from multiple angles,” he explains. By integrating sustainability, digital fabrication, and structural engineering within a holistic framework, he now contributes to advancing the state-of-the-art knowledge in building technology and technology transfer, while fostering collaboration between students and faculty. “Thinking outside the box allows for faster, more effective, and more resilient solutions,” Aryan concludes, highlighting the lasting impact of NCCR DFAB on his approach to research and teaching.

Mass timber in a Canadian Context

Aryan’s current research at the University of Toronto focuses on making mass timber construction and digital fabrication accessible and practical for the AEC sector. Central to his work is the concept of resilience, designing structural systems that maximize material efficiency, minimize waste, and deliver high-performance load transfer mechanisms. Digital fabrication allows him to optimize timber construction, creating robust structural systems with advanced geometries that would be difficult to achieve with traditional methods.

Aryan Rad has collaborated with MAS ETH DFAB Alumnus Nicholas Hoban from Daniels Architecture (University of Toronto) and created a wooden dome in the scope of the Robot Made 2025 workshop. The structure project is displayed in front of Galbraith Building at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Read more about the Robot Made Project: https://civmin.utoronto.ca/rob...