Artworks

Digital Fabrication: Robotic Timber Construction

“Robotic Timber Construction” project explores the Structural Performance-based Design Methods and Robotic Fabrication approaches in timber architecture. This project focuses on the correlation between structural performance and architectural geometries. Taking timber gridshell as structural prototype, the sizes of the gridshell are optimized with structural simulation and optimization techniques. The gradients of structural performance are transformed into a continuous change in form of the gridshell structure, resulting in a direct correlation between geometries and structural performance. In the fabrication stage, robotic wire cutting technique is employed to ensure the precise presentation of the design. Material properties, structural performance, form-finding method and fabrication constraints are integrated into the design and construction of the spatial gridshell structure.

Participants

Philip F. Yuan, Hua Chai, Gang Meng, Fab-Union