Adaptive growth using robotic fabrication

Abstract

This paper studies computational methods for adaptive growth seen in human design processes, such as development of spontaneous settlements, by highlighting the contrast with conventional plan execution approaches. The paper speculates as to the possibilities of open frameworks for design using computational methods through a relatively simple yet explicit example in the context of robotic fabrication. The proposed experiment uses an industrial robot arm to produce structures by stacking unit bricks without hard-coded instructions ("blueprints") from the outset. The paper further speculates about how such implementations can be applied to architectural design. © 2013, The Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA), Hong Kong, and Center for Advanced Studies in Architecture (CASA), Department of Architecture-NUS, Singapore.