Emancipating Architecture: From Fixed Systems of Control to Participatory Structures

Abstract

Automation revolutionized not only the processes and outputs of manufacturing, but also fundamentally changed the way in which humans participated in the act of making. The result has been a shift from human-centric design and production processes to a techno-centric paradigm. Instead of defining what is commonly construed as a human-machine dichotomy, this chapter examines, how architectural fabrication can be reconceptualized by changing the roles of the different intertwining agents that contribute to the production of physical architectures through the, precedents, and a case study. While robotic production processes often seek to create controlled, efficient outputs, this chapter explores the use digital feedback processes to proactively integrate mechatronic devices, material inconsistencies, and human intuition by weaving them into a network that creates optimized structures through time. While the context, form, and use of the structures may change, each output is clearly identifiable as a part of the same underlying system.