GRI.D DANNY
GRIFFIN

GUIDANCE

Optimization for 
laborious construction 

Geometry Engines
Feedback Loops
Automation


About

Danny Griffin, AIA





My work concerns the disconnect between designing in digital space, and the ensuing translation of that design onto a physical construction site. Familiar feedback comes from this sitation: 

“the design is too complex,
we can’t build it this way.”

I’ve often wondered how much of a relationship there really is between a complex design and complex construction. Are those innately connected? Why couldn’t we have complex designs with simple construction?

Over time, I’ve come to view this as a communication problem tying the digital data structures with their physical consequences. If the design is carefully formatted into a set of instructions suitable for either machine or human interpreters, then complexity should be no obstacle. 




Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Master of Science in Architecture Studies ‘25
Master of Architecture ‘22


Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Bachelor of Science in Architecture ‘18


Architecture 

Payette, Boston, MA
 Associate, High Performance Envelopes (Jun. ‘22 - Present)

Studio Other Spaces, Berlin, Germany
 Architectural Designer (Feb. ‘21 - May ‘22)

R&D

Self Assembly Lab, Cambridge, MA
 Research Assistant in Textile Manufacturing (Sept. 23 - May ‘24)

 Studio J. Jih, Boston, MA
 Research Lead, Essays in Assembly (Jan. ‘19 - Aug. ‘21)

Zahner Labs, Kansas City, MO
 R&D Engineering Intern (Jun. ‘19 - Aug. ‘19)

Digital Building Lab, Atlanta, GA
 Research Assistant in Construction Automation (May ‘17 - Aug. ‘18)



Author of:

Guiding Labor (SMArchS Thesis)
A case for digital instructions in the field of analog construction.

Seeing Labor (Joint M.Arch Thesis with Inez Ow) 
An accounting exercise examining the true costs behind the scenes of constructing a full-scale pavilion. 

Dream Lawn (Self Published Children’s Book)
A reflection of a childhood of chores and impossible pursuits of maintenance.