Research's IaaC - (FAB) BOTS: Research Studio III

In architecture, digital design and fabrication tools have given designers unprecedented means for executing formally challenging projects directly from the computer. Yet today, the impact of digital production in architecture goes far beyond the mere production of complex geometries. The ongoing shift towards customisation of computational design methods through the development of scripts and algorithms is causing a fundamental shift in the architectural design process by enabling architects to surpass traditional Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools. By liberating themselves from the creative and technical limitations imposed by software developers and managing their own digital design tools and interfaces with digital fabrication equipment, architects are indeed controlling the design and implementation of specific material solutions.

Just as pre-packaged CAD platforms are being updated or replaced by customised scripting tools, Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) environments and computer-controlled (CNC) fabrication machines will surely undergo a similar shift and be supplanted by more open hardware solutions. Consequently, today’s digital architects ought to formulate more critical positions on the status and characteristics of digital fabrication methods—which are currently being transferred from other disciplines—and begin to investigate the potential of producing highly specific and customised fabrication apparatuses for construction. These new tools will unquestionably open up alternative building techniques and trigger innovative solutions for the production of architecture.

In this context, (FAB)BOTS is a collection of projects that investigate the workflow between computational design and material production methods, through the invention and development of customised numerically-controlled fabrication devices and innovative material solutions. While current applications of digital fabrication focus on optimising efficiency in a laboratory/industrial environment, these projects explore on-site deployment strategies, with solutions that are itinerant, can be adapted to the context and are highly specific in relation to the use of materials.

(FAB)BOTS investigates how design and construction processes can be re-engineered, by becoming independent of the pre-given forms of traditional design-to-fabrication manufacturing processes, mass-produced materials and standardised software packages. Challenging the traditional norms of linear file-to-factory production, these research projects examine scenarios in which material production and fabrication are at the core of a creative parametric design approach. Using a setup consisting of design scripts, machine programming, custom-designed fabrication devices and specific methods of material formation, they illustrate an integrated conception-production logic that enables emergent material configurations which are not guided by a pre-conceived design. Instead, the resulting structures and spatial formations—as demonstrated by the physical prototypes and models—emerge from considering simultaneously machine constraints, material behaviour and specific design performance criteria.

In a broader view, the aim of this research is to speculate on alternative construction technologies for building customised habitats in remote locations or communities that have limited infrastructure and access to new technologies. While traditionally these challenges were addressed using standardised, prefabricated solutions, the use of itinerant fabrication devices promotes a decentralised system of production, which enables highly customised design solutions and fosters the incorporation of other means of economy such as the energy efficiency of the construction process using locally available or easily transportable materials. In this manner, (FAB)BOTS critically addresses the question of architectural production at a time when economy and sustainability must be given very careful consideration.

Note on development and methodology:

The projects in (FAB)BOTS were done by master level students of the MAA programme at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). They were developed in the design studios tutored by Marta Malé-Alemany, in collaboration with Victor Viña. The seven projects were worked on over the course of five months and supported the work through tutorials in programming and building customised robotic devices using the open-source electronics prototyping platform Arduino, which is based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. Student teams were encouraged to benefit from and contribute to a large on-line community by sharing experiences with interactive projects or environments. The electronic and mechanical components of each fabrication and robotic device were produced at the Fab-Lab Bcn (IAAC).