Recent developments in computational design methods, fabrication techniques and robotic control open up new possibilities for materialization in architecture. Beyond the automation of traditional fabrication techniques, robotic tools create the opportunity to explore adaptive, interactive and responsive manufacturing methods. Students will develop skills and understanding for robotic fabrication, explore experimental robotic techniques (i.e. robotic interface, drone control, sensing, data processing, live streaming control and input/output signals), investigate computational design strategies and advanced robotic control for digital fabrication.
Based on these studies, new computation-based fabrication concepts will be explored. This explorative process will be closely related to the ITECH Integrative Technologies and Architectural Design Research Project, which will enable students to investigate fabrication techniques in interdisciplinary teams as well as developing suitable computational design tools for this process.
The result of these investigations will be an overview of robotic fabrication within the context of an architectural discipline, deeper understanding of technologies for advanced fabrication of architectural systems, and the development of computational tools, experimental fabrication techniques and prototype architectural demonstrators.
Prerequisite is previous participation in one of the computational design seminars or experience with Grasshopper or Python programming.
Bechthold, M. 2010. “The Return of the Future: A Second Go at Robotic Construction”. Architectural Design 80(4): 116–121.
Biggs, G., Macdonald, B. 2003. “A Survey of Robot Programming Systems”. In Proceedings of the Australasian Conference on Robotics and Automation Brisbane, edited by J. Roberts and G. Wyeth(eds.), 1-10.
Brell-Çokcan, S., Braumann, J. 2010. “A New Parametric Design Tool for Robot Milling“. In Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), 357–363.
Schwinn, T., Krieg, O., Menges, A. 2012. “Robotically Fabricated Wood Plate Morphologies“. In Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art and Design: Proceedings of the Robots in Architecture Conference 2012, edited by S. Brell-Çokcan and J. Braumann, 48-61. Wien New York: Springer.