Bookshop by Uro

The shape of things to come: new forms of digital craft in architecture

Digital tools have dramatically transformed the way we design our buildings. But while computer aided drafting (CAD) and building information modelling (BIM) are industry-wide standards, for the most part construction itself still takes place with tools and that would have been familiar to your average builder at the turn of last century.

Advances in robotics and ‘file-to-factory’ production that were previously the preserve of the aeronautics or advanced manufacturing industries, however, are now finding application in construction-and not just for ‘iconic’ arts and civic buildings, but in private domestic architecture right here in Australia.

As these robot builders begin to make their presence felt, new possibilities are emerging for highly expressive architectural forms beyond the wildest imaginings of even the most accomplished master craftsperson.

In this event, several local architects at the forefront of this burgeoning mode of design and construction present a selection of their recent built work, and discuss what the implications might be for how we understand and interpret architecture.

A discussion with several architects at the forefront of digital design technology & the implications on our understanding of architecture & construction.

To be considered:
how might a robot-made building relate to our traditional understanding of craft and the value of ‘the makers mark’?
Where might craftspersonship reside in a predominantly digital process?
Does this new mode of construction and design bring with it an inherent new formal language or ‘tectonic’?
Could a robot have its own form of ‘expression’?
How do these construction techniques change the way we approach architectural design, and might they even detract from its humanity?

Image: Paul Lo