Fabricating Architecture


Book Description

In this increasingly digitized world, any investigation of architecture inevitably leads to considerations of fabrication. But despite its omnipresence in contemporary practice and theory, digital design remains a fluid concept, its development and current influence discussed in scattered articles.




Digital Fabrication in Architecture


Book Description

With the increasing sophistication of CAD and other design software, there is now a wide array of means for both designing and fabricating architecture and its components. The proliferation of advanced modelling software and hardware has enabled architects and students to conceive and create designs that would be very difficult to do using more traditional methods. The use of CAD technologies in the production of physical models, prototypes and individual elements is increasingly widespread through processes such as CAD/CAM, CNC milling and rapid prototyping. This translation of computer-generated data to physical artefact can also be reversed with devices such as a digitiser, which traces the contours of physical objects directly into the computer. This book focuses on the inspiring possibilities for architecture that can be explored with all the different technologies and techniques available for making complete designs or their components.




Fabricate 2020


Book Description

Fabricate 2020 is the fourth title in the FABRICATE series on the theme of digital fabrication and published in conjunction with a triennial conference (London, April 2020). The book features cutting-edge built projects and work-in-progress from both academia and practice. It brings together pioneers in design and making from across the fields of architecture, construction, engineering, manufacturing, materials technology and computation. Fabricate 2020 includes 32 illustrated articles punctuated by four conversations between world-leading experts from design to engineering, discussing themes such as drawing-to-production, behavioural composites, robotic assembly, and digital craft.




DIgital Fabrications


Book Description

Digital Fabrications, the second volume in our new Architecture Briefs series, celebrates the design ingenuity made possible by digital fabrication techniques. Author Lisa Iwamoto explores the methods architects use to calibrate digital designs with physical forms. The book is organized according to five types of digital fabrication techniques: tessellating, sectioning, folding, contouring, and forming. Projects are shown both in their finished forms and in working drawings, templates, and prototypes, allowing the reader to watch the process of each fantastic construction unfold. Digital Fabrications presents projects designed and built by emerging practices that pioneer techniques and experiment with fabrication processes on a small scale with a do-it-yourself attitude. Featured architects include AEDS/Ammar Eloueini, Atelier Manferdini, Brennan Buck, MOS, Office dA, Florencia Pita/MOD, Mafoomby, URBAN A+O, SYSTEMarchitects, Andrew Kudless/Matsys, IwamotoScott, Atelier Hitoshi Abe, Chris Bosse, Tom Wiscombe/EMERGENT, Thom Faulders Architecture, Jeremy Ficca, SPAN, GNUFORM, Heather Roberge, PATTERNS, Ruy Klein, and servo.




refabricating ARCHITECTURE


Book Description

This thought-provoking book presents a compelling argument for moving architecture from a part-by-part, linear approach to an integrated one that brings together technology, materials, and production methods. Using examples from several industries that have successfully made the change to an integrated component approach, these visionary authors lay the groundwork for a dramatic and much-needed change in the building industry. * Packed with graphics that illustrate how and why change is needed * Examples from the auto, shipbuilding, and aerospace industries illustrating how to improve quality while saving time and money * Redefines the roles of architects, materials scientists, process engineers, and contractors




Fabricate 2011


Book Description

FABRICATE is an international peer reviewed conference that takes place every three years with a supporting publication on the theme of Digital Fabrication. Discussing the progressive integration of digital design with manufacturing processes, and its impact on design and making in the 21st century, FABRICATE brings together pioneers in design and making within architecture, construction, engineering, manufacturing, materials technology and computation. Discussion on key themes includes: how digital fabrication technologies are enabling new creative and construction opportunities from component to building scales, the difficult gap that exists between digital modelling and its realisation, material performance and manipulation, off-site and on-site construction, interdisciplinary education, economic and sustainable contexts. FABRICATE features cutting-edge built work from both academia and practice, making it a unique event that attracts delegates from all over the world. FABRICATE 2011, 2014 and 2017 are now all available to download free from UCL Press.




Manufacturing Architecture


Book Description

Manufacturing Architecture is the first reference guide to customizing repetitive manufacturing for architects. Computer-aided design has greatly expanded the opportunities for architects to create innovative buildings with custom components. While most architects were exposed to CAD when they were students, few of them have in-depth knowledge or experience with using it to customize repetitive manufacturing processes. This book provides designers of all levels with all the information they need to make the most of the exciting opportunities offered by custom manufacturing. Clear diagrams and narratives explain the 20 most useful manufacturing processes for typical building components. Case studies from around the globe show how these processes can be customized in order to create variation, lower costs, decrease production waste, and use a wider selection of materials. With over 1,000 images, including photographs and hundreds of specially created diagrams, Manufacturing Architecture is as inspiring as it is useful.




Digital Fabrication in Architecture, Engineering and Construction


Book Description

Digital technologies are changing the relationship between design and construction: with computer models, CAD/CAM, and prototyping, designers can gain direct control of building and construction processes. The ability to digitally model designs, and thus to use those models directly in the context of production, creates a synthesis between design and construction in keeping with the tradition of the close relationship between design and craftsmanship, between the quality of the design and the rules of the craft. The evolution of the culture of design and construction is the underlying theme of this book. The aim is to discuss the direction that innovation is now taking, with a particular focus on today’s cutting-edge architectures. The method addresses the ways in which different societies have dealt with the issues of their age regarding design and construction, the different contributions provided by various techniques, and with them the meanings expressed by the architecture. As building design using digital tools requires specific skills in the fabrication processes and in the languages used by information technology, the book also offers a practical guide to new methods and techniques of managing and controlling fabrication for AEC. A systematic analysis of new skills used in the design process presents an overview of opportunities for architects and engineers. By collecting information on significant projects and analyzing them, the book explores the technical and artistic potential of digital technology. The cases studied are the outcomes of groundbreaking projects which were able to give form and significance to technological research. They show that digital tools are not the exclusive prerogative of large firms but can also be adopted by teams working across small and medium-sized firms – firms which have been able to use informed research to link innovative design with the possibilities offered by digital fabrication in architecture.




Architecture in the Digital Age


Book Description

Architecture in the Digital Age addresses contemporary architectural practice in which digital technologies are radically changing how buildings are conceived, designed and produced. It discusses the digitally-driven changes, their origins, and their effects by grounding them in actual practices already taking place, while simultaneously speculating about their wider implications for the future. The book offers a diverse set of ideas as to what is relevant today and what will be relevant tomorrow for emerging architectural practices of the digital age.




Architectural Stone


Book Description

The past quarter century has seen a near revolution in the availability, versatility, and cost of architectural stone. Enormous technological advances in fabrication, transportation, and installation have combined with the emergence of new sources of stone in China, India, Southeast Asia, and the former Soviet Union to produce an astounding variety of choices for architects interested in incorporating stone into their designs. But, beyond the visual aesthetic of a sample, how can an architect determine whether a particular stone possesses characteristics suitable for a specific project? This is a crucial question, since an improper selection can cost thousands, or even millions, of dollars to correct. In Architectural Stone, Mark Chacon takes the guesswork out of stone selection, design, and installation. He provides detailed information on geological formation, physical characteristics, and fabrication techniques for igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic stone, and explains how these factors affect design and installation. Taking a how-to approach, he offers detailed instructions for all major installation techniques and examines the materials, systems, and specifications required for each technique, as well as methods of finishing, sealing, and maintaining installed stone. Finally, he presents detailed guidelines for the selection of stone, including selection criteria and practical concerns, special considerations for interior and exterior installations, informal testing and practical analysis, and the availability and suitability of particular types of stone. The only one-stop source for complete information on building stone, Architectural Stone also provides: * More than 100 field photographs detailing the quarrying, fabrication, and installation of a wide variety of building stone * Architectural details that describe the intent and use of stone in building systems * Computer-generated images of the geological formation of stone The first and only comprehensive reference for owners, architects, interior designers, and other building professionals working with stone, this book provides authoritative, up-to-date answers to critical questions on every aspect of using stone as a building material.