Reading 007: Retooling for Mass Markets: Hillary Davlin's Response

"Retooling for Mass Markets", written by Tom Verebes, poses a counterpoint for the implementation of robotics in the 21^st century, or as he terms it, the “Asian-Century”.  Today, robots have slowly been integrated into architectural design, practice, discourse, teaching and researching, but have hardly been considered in the physical building or a contemporary city. Verebes argues that robotics poses great opportunity to aid in the population demands across East Asian today. While robots may reduce both time and money through the production of high-rise residential buildings, there is a concern that robots may not be used to their full potential in order to create variation rather than similar architectural typologies.  Robots have been associated in the 20^th century with a monotonous, Fordism ideology, where repetitive products are produced in a timely manner.  Although robots today have the same standardization ability, there is opportunity for diversity through different tooling and robotic applications.

Customizing different robotic tools has the ability to transform a city, allowing for a vast differentiation of architectural high-rise typologies, while still doing so in an efficient time.  The question at this point becomes not how robots can change urban skylines, but if they will be used to do so.  In the article, Verebe reiterates Kittler’s stance on new technological media, stating that, “new media does not make old media obsolete; they assign them other places in the system” (p. 129). Robots, in this case, will most likely be combined with old building techniques in order to address housing issues of the 21^st century. The responsibility thus relies on architects, developers, and city officials, if the potential of robotic retooling will create a unique and successful city skyline, or a dreary, monotonous urban fabric for the future population to live within.