University Microcredential in Advanced Computational Design: Systems, Data and Matter

Presentation

The Advanced Computational Design: Systems, Data, and Matter microcredential addresses an emerging need in the fields of design, architecture, engineering, and experimental sciences, where the convergence of digital technology, natural processes, and design logics is redefining how we think, manufacture, and operate within the built environment and material systems. This training program is based on a methodological approach that integrates computational thinking, algorithmic simulation, and physical-material exploration, addressing design as a complex, adaptive, and relational system.

From an academic and scientific perspective, the course is framed within the advancement of generative methodologies, digital fabrication, bioinformed models, and interactive systems, proposing a cross-cutting and innovative approach that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. The integration of computational architectural design, data analysis, and chemical processes applied to material behavior allows students to develop highly complex design solutions with rigorous technical foundations and contextual sensitivity.

On a professional level, this training provides key tools for those working in or wishing to enter highly specialized fields such as parametric design, digital prototyping, bio-inspired design, physical interaction with sensors, growth simulation, and advanced manufacturing. The course's modular and practical structure allows for the immediate application of knowledge in work environments related to technological innovation, sustainable development, and advanced production, thus facilitating the updating of technical and creative profiles.

Culturally, the microcredential is embedded within a framework of critical reflection on the role of design in the ecological and digital transition, advocating for interpretive rather than mimetic approaches to nature and for open methodologies that promote complex thinking and speculative exploration. This stance fosters an inclusive and transdisciplinary vision of knowledge, one that questions established models and generates new forms of interaction between humanity, technology, and the environment.

The proposal actively contributes to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The course promotes flexible, accessible, and technologically advanced training with a strong inclusive dimension by incorporating open-source tools, hybrid methodologies, and individualized tutoring that helps reduce access gaps.

Finally, this micro-credential aligns with the strategic priorities of Rey Juan Carlos University in the areas of digitalization, sustainability, interdisciplinarity, and teaching innovation. It contributes to the university's high-quality academic offerings, strengthens knowledge transfer, and positions the university as a leader in training professionals capable of addressing contemporary challenges from a critical, creative, and transformative perspective.

Objectives

• Develop advanced skills in computational design through the use of parametric tools, generative algorithms, and simulation systems.
• Integrate quantitative data into the design process to model and visualize behaviors, environmental conditions, and design variables.
• Applying physical-chemical principles and natural phenomena as a logical basis for the development of adaptive, self-organized or speculative structures.
• Explore physical-digital interaction through open source platforms to generate material responses, responsive systems, or active structures.
• Prototyping complex solutions through digital fabrication, simulation, or physical modeling, combining data, algorithms, and matter in a coherent process.
• To promote collaborative, inclusive and sustainable design practices, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the strategic values ​​of Rey Juan Carlos University.