Studio Instructor(s)
Program: Mixed
Scale: Varied
Site: Future
The materials and procedures of constructing architecture have changed surprisingly little since early 1900s when the introduction of industrial mass production of Portland cement, structural steel, aluminum extrusion, float glass and an ever expanding range of petrochemical polymers shaped modernity.
While the economic circumstances, social mandates, environmental sensibilities, design narratives and advancements in technologies have made great leaps forwards we still downstream build and by implication upstream design influenced by notions of standardization and persistence. Meanwhile we shelved age old materials and methods of construction deemed as unpredictable, inefficient and labor intensive.
The studio investigates the notion of alternative materials and fabrication processes aiming to bridge the gap between traditional sustainable materials and techniques with notions of information and labor-oblivious technologies such as industrial robotics. Students will develop novel materialization processes and explore design strategies for specific architectural problems, identified or recommended, as their understanding for design opportunities evolves. Intensive training and teamwork sprit is required for successful results. As a research oriented thematic, students are encouraged to document and share new knowledge with the broader community in form of publications.
