Sponsored by CoAD SeedOUT grant
Collaborator: Matthew DiMaggio

The research investigates robotic additive manufacturing processes for applications in architecture. The sector of automation in construction is undergoing momentum given to a convergence of relevant key factors in the framework of Digital Transformation. The increasing cost of skilled labor with the simultaneous depreciation of software and hardware raises questions concerning the need to reinterpret building site practices. Although the pandemic has highlighted weaknesses in the downstream phases, the increasing accessibility of data, tools, interfaces and shared knowledge suggests that multidisciplinary research in the building industry will enable a digital continuum from design to construction. The goal of the research is to produce full-scale concrete prototypes of algorithmically designed building units. To undertake this study, a robotic clay extruder was set up at CoAD with the intention of exploring design possibilities before confronting complexity and constraints at the architectural scale. This work has the ambition to leverage the technological culture within the University and contribute to valorizing the manufacturing heritage in Detroit. The study is a medium to train future professionals and create more capacity to use advanced tools for generative design and architectural production.