Robots in Architecture 2016
'Robots in Architecture 2016 – Developing the Future' presents the latest developments in robotic work processes and material investigations.
The exhibition, curated by Dr Dagmar Reinhardt, showcases the latest developments of robotic applications and robotic research for architectural practice. It continues the Rob|Arch2016 - Robots in Architecture, Art and Design conference, hosted by the University of Sydney: a platform for sharing research developed across the field of robotics, undertaken by designers, artists and architects, by researchers and educators, in academia and in practice and industry, and by innovative forms and startups.
The show presents the Rob|Arch2016 workshops with the latest developments in robotic work processes and material investigations, conducted as collaborations between the Australian co-hosting universities (RMIT, UTS, UNSW, Monash, and Bond), and international collaborators (University of Michigan, ICD Stuttgart, ETH Zurich, IAAC Barcelona, Harvard GSD, Virginia Tech, industry HAL Robotics, Sciarc and Odico Robotic Formworks). A series of documentaries features sequences of the production process. Prototypes displayed use materials as diverse as polymer, timber veneer sheets, clay, or Styrofoam, with techniques used such as deposition, sewing, sensing, these models and large scale installations show new paradigms for architecture.
The exhibition is testament to the innovative capacities of robotics at the nexus of material research, interactive response and robotic fabrication. It includes objects, projections of documentaries, and a series of 37 interviews with leading robotic researchers, educators, practitioners and robotic industry. These interviews give information about robotic concepts, processes and tools used, and inform about the impact of robotic fabrication on architecture and construction industry.
As part of the Robots in Architecture 2016 – Developing the Future, live demonstrations play an important part. One offers glimpses into the Live Lab “CodeToProduction” (Architecture Robotics Lab/DMaF, The University of Sydney), which explores robotic 3D printing and patterning techniques in liquids (from ink to clay), in the incremental production of a hexagonal tile mural for the gallery, paralleling the exhibition over a span of five weeks.