Lena Pfeiffer 004 Integrating Robotic Fabrication in the Design Process

Integrating robot technology into the design process can lead to both higher efficiency and increased precision.  All of the projects in the FCL benefitted from the use of CAD and the robots, allowing them to move their designs to new levels and possibilities.  The article talks about the students ability to alter their thought process and skew it towards their digital capabilities.  By shifting to algorithmic logics, the students were able to channel their thought process of the physical building design to the digital and back.  This ability is something that has become more and more crucial in the architecture world, seeing as technology is always improving and contributing to new design techniques.  By creating digital models, which can then be physically constructed, whether it be by robots or by hand, designers can learn from that 2D to 3D transition.  The construction process that goes into building the models is something that must be considered at the full scale.  Working with robots to build scale models can teach designers about the potential structural issues in an efficient and easily replicable fashion.  CAD allows for easy changes and design tweaks that may be very time consuming otherwise.