If unprocessed natural materials are the most environmentally friendly construction materials available, how do we develop and communicate design model and construction information that allows dealing with their volatile indeterminacies? This paper discusses the design and development of the 'ZCB Bamboo Pavilion', a 30-metres-spanning, light-weight, bending-active gridshell from hand-tied bamboo poles, as a case study for the computational design and building information modelling of nonstandard architecture where both applied materials and employed craftsmanship are highly unpredictable in terms of accuracy and precision. Reflective practice and participatory action research are used to extract knowledge on and challenge the environment of practice, and improve design and construction strategies. The project is used to discuss how traditional construction can be augmented through the strategic injection of computation in the design and construction process, how computation allows for a different mode of collaboration with increased impact for the designer, and how bespoke building information models enable an expanded architectural design solution space. The paper concludes by arguing for a mode of digital design practice that more proactively operates within a field of real-world indeterminacy. The risk and ambiguity of working with indeterminacies are to be strategically balanced out against idealised digital set-ups and onsite opportunities.

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Post-digital architectural education aims to empower future architects by developing open-mindedness and technical skills for the design of non-standard spatial configurations. Students can learn through exploration and experimentation, using three-dimensional graphic design software to generate initial designs and quality feedback, with a mixed model of peers and panel judges assessing final projects. Ratings of individual contributions and performance are commonly found in literature on peer assessment, but qualitative comments from peers can also provide good information on strengths and weaknesses. This study shows that peer critique in the form of debate can be an effective pedagogical tool for educators to provide quality feedback to the presenting group. This paper explores how architecture students responded to this method in a design studio for a master's degree in architecture in a university in Hong Kong. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and subsequently analysed using the coding system of qualitative software NVivo 11. The responses of the students were positive, although they experienced differences in feedback from different stakeholders.

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