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Anahita Khodadadi

Anahita Khodadadi is an assistant professor in the School of Architecture, working on the boundaries of architecture design and building science. Her research interests lie in three primary areas:

Computation and design science, including form exploration methods, parametric modeling, application of a genetic algorithm in multi-objective design, creative design thinking and innovative problem-solving
Building science, including thermal and daylighting simulation, integrated design, structural and environmental analyses of the buildings, life cycle assessment
Science education in architectural pedagogy, including inclusive teaching and active learning approaches.

Within the broad spectrum of scholarly works in the field of computation and design science, the focus of her studies is on the early phases of design and consideration of both quantitative performance-based and qualitative characteristics of the design alternatives. Accordingly, most of her studies attempted to expose designers to a wide diversity of suitable solutions versus minimizing the objective functions to find high-performing ones. She received her doctorate at the University of Michigan, where her dissertation was devoted to developing a computational form exploration method that considers the concepts and principles of creative and productive thinking. Her developed method is based on the application of a genetic algorithm (GA) and the Theory of Innovative Problem Solving (TRIZ).

She has always worked at crossover points of multiple subjects while collaborating with researchers in different disciplines. Examples of these crossovers include design exploration of a folded plate dome made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) regarding its visual appearance, structural performance, interior daylight, and acoustic quality. She studied Iranian historical domes to create novel lattice structures. She also learned some management theories, such as TRIZ to bring applicable principles to the design process. She has recently accomplished a research project, in cooperation with the Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels industry in Canada, which includes life cycle assessment and thermal and daylighting analysis of a mid-rise residential building complex in Montreal. This study's main idea is to compare a prefabricated reinforced concrete construction with a residential building where CLT panels are utilized instead. The results of her research works are published in leading peer-reviewed journals or conference proceedings. In addition to her research background, she has served as a guest reviewer for several scholarly journals.

Anahita holds a B.Arch and an M.Arch degree from the University of Tehran which led her practicing architectural design as a registered architect in Iran, Tehran. The years of practicing architecture not only have allowed her to conduct the research projects that support design practice but also have made her design curriculum and course materials that suits future architecture practitioners’ demands.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, namely Willard A. Oberdick Fellowship, Emmanuel-George Vakaló Endowed Scholarship, Morvarid Guiv Trust Endowed Scholarship, Vakhshoori Scholarship among other honors. To Learn about her works, you may see:

Expertise: Multi-objective design, GA-based form exploration, Building science, Science education in architectural pedagogy

Selected Peer-reviewed Publications: