CONTACT - Body geometry as basis for parametric design and additive manufacturing.
Project information
submitted by
Niklas Hamann
Co-Authors
Lucia Curzio,
Chengcheng Feng,
Rico Freund,
Yannek Grawe,
Nele Hoffmann,
Lennart Janssen,
Hannes Lange,
Haoyu Liu,
Maart Wilken,
Wenjinghan Yu,
Julia Götz,
Ella Horn,
Louis Krug
Mentors
Niklas Hamann
Faculty:
Art and Design
Degree programme:
Product Design (Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)),
Productdesign (Master of Arts (M.A.))
Type of project presentation
Exhibition
Semester
Summer semester 2026
- Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 13
(Glasgebäude »Auge«)
Available during summaery's regular opening hours
Project description
Upright gait is a defining characteristic of humans—and the geometry of the foot, as a weight-bearing, adaptive, and highly stressed part of the body, is correspondingly complex. For centuries, shoes and orthopedic devices have navigated the intersection of protection, culture, performance, and physical limitations. Today, digital workflows combining 3D scanning, parametric modeling, and additive manufacturing open up new possibilities for systematically incorporating the individuality of human bodies into the design process. At the same time, 3D-printed shoes are increasingly establishing themselves as a fashion trend and an aesthetically experimental design field.
In this course, human foot geometry serves as a concrete application area for complex, organic, and fluid modeling strategies in Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper. Furthermore, questions of embodiment, hybridity, and individualization are addressed: How does design change when the body itself becomes the starting point for parametric designs? What role does additive manufacturing play in the transformation of artisanal production processes—for example, in orthopedic technology or in new shoe concepts?