The book presents the proceedings of Rob/Arch 2016, the third international conference on robotic fabrication in architecture, art, and design. The work contains a wide range of contemporary topics, from methodologies for incorporating dynamic material feedback into existing fabrication processes, to novel interfaces for robotic programming, to new processes for large-scale automated construction. The latent argument behind this research is that the term ‘file-to-factory’ must not be a reductive celebration of expediency but instead a perpetual challenge to increase the quality of feedback between design, matter, and making.

The book presents research from Rob|Arch 2018, the fourth international conference on robotic fabrication in architecture, art, and design. In capturing the myriad of scientific advances in robotics fabrication that are currently underway – such as collaborative design tools, computerised materials, adaptive sensing and actuation, advanced construction, on-site and cooperative robotics, machine-learning, human-machine interaction, large-scale fabrication and networked workflows, to name but a few – this compendium reveals how robotic fabrication is becoming a driver of scientific innovation, cross-disciplinary fertilization and creative capacity of an unprecedented kind.

This book aims at finding some answers to the questions: What is the influence of humans in controlling CAD and how much is human in control of its surroundings? How far does our reach as humans really go? Do the complex algorithms that we use for city planning nowadays live up to their expectations and do they offer enough quality? How much data do we have and can we control? Are today’s inventions reversing the humanly controlled algorithms into a space where humans are controlled by the algorithms? Are processing power, robots for the digital environment and construction in particular not only there to rediscover what we already knew and know or do they really bring us further into the fields of constructing and architecture? The chapter authors were invited speakers at the 6th Symposium "Design Modelling Symposium: Humanizing Digital Reality", which took place in Ensa-Versailles, France from 16 - 20 September 2017.

This book explores various digital representation strategies that could change the future of wooden architectures by blending tradition and innovation. Composed of 61 chapters, written by 153 authors hailing from 5 continents, 24 countries and 69 research centers, it addresses advanced digital modeling, with a particular focus on solutions involving generative models and dynamic value, inherent to the relation between knowing how to draw and how to build. Thanks to the potential of computing, areas like parametric design and digital manufacturing are opening exciting new avenues for the future of construction. The book’s chapters are divided into five sections that connect digital wood design to integrated approaches and generative design; to model synthesis and morphological comprehension; to lessons learned from nature and material explorations; to constructive wisdom and implementation-related challenges; and to parametric transfigurations and morphological optimizations.

Virtual Aesthetics in Architecture: Designing in Mixed Realities presents a curated selection of projects and texts contributed by leading international architects and designers who are using virtual reality technologies in their design process. It triggers discussion and debate on exploring the aesthetic potential and establishing its language as an expressive medium in architectural design. Although virtual reality is not new and the technology has evolved rapidly, the aesthetic potential of the medium is still emerging and there is a great deal more to explore. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the current use of virtual reality technologies in the architectural design process. Contributions are presented in six parts, fully illustrated with over 150 images. Recent projects presented are distributed in five themes: introduction to mixed realities; space and form; context and ambiguity; materiality and movement; body and social. Each theme includes richly illustrated essays by leading academics and practitioners, including those from Zaha Hadid Architects and MVRDV, detailing their design process using data-driven methodologies. Virtual Aesthetics in Architecture expands the use of technology per se and focuses on how architecture can benefit from its aesthetic potential during the design process. A must-read for practitioners, academics, and students interested in cutting-edge digital design.

The Advances in Architectural Geometry (AAG) symposia serve as a unique forum where developments in the design, analysis and fabrication of building geometry are presented. With participation of both academics and professionals, each symposium aims to gather and present practical work and theoretical research that responds to contemporary design challenges and expands the opportunities for architectural form. The fifth edition of the AAG symposia was hosted by the National Centre for Competence in Research Digital Fabrication at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, in September 2016. This book contains the proceedings from the AAG2016 conference and offers detailed insight into current and novel geometrical developments in architecture. The 22 diverse, peer-reviewed papers present cutting-edge innovations in the fields of mathematics, computer graphics, software design, structural engineering, and the design and construction of architecture.

Modelled on the concept of Industry 4.0, the idea of Construction 4.0 is based on a confluence of trends and technologies that promise to reshape the way built environment assets are designed, constructed, and operated. With the pervasive use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), lean principles, digital technologies, and offsite construction, the industry is at the cusp of this transformation. The critical challenge is the fragmented state of teaching, research, and professional practice in the built environment sector. This handbook aims to overcome this fragmentation by describing Construction 4.0 in the context of its current state, emerging trends and technologies, and the people and process issues that surround the coming transformation. Construction 4.0 is a framework that is a confluence and convergence of the following broad themes discussed in this book: Industrial production (prefabrication, 3D printing and assembly, offsite manufacture) Cyber-physical systems (actuators, sensors, IoT, robots, cobots, drones) Digital and computing technologies (BIM, video and laser scanning, AI and cloud computing, big data and data analytics, reality capture, Blockchain, simulation, augmented reality, data standards and interoperability, and vertical and horizontal integration) The aim of this handbook is to describe the Construction 4.0 framework and consequently highlight the resultant processes and practices that allow us to plan, design, deliver, and operate built environment assets more effectively and efficiently by focusing on the physical-to-digital transformation and then digital-to-physical transformation. This book is essential reading for all built environment and AEC stakeholders who need to get to grips with the technological transformations currently shaping their industry, research, and teaching.

This book collects contributions of forefront research and practices related to the use of the enabling technologies of Industry 4.0 in the architecture and design fields and their impact on the UN's Sustainable Developments goals. The book is structured into three sections (research, practice, and technologies), with the goal of creating a new framework useful for widespread awareness necessary to initiate technology transfer processes for the benefit of the public sector, universities, research centers, and innovative companies, and a new professional figure capable of controlling the entire process is essential. Thus, the book chapters arouse a series of relevant topics such as computational and parametric design, performance-based architecture, data-driven design strategies, parametric environmental design and analysis, computational and parametric structural design and analysis, AI and machine learning, BIM and interoperability, VR and AR, digital and robotic fabrication, additive manufacturing and 3D printing, R&D and entrepreneurship, circular architecture, and didactics. In the post-digital era, where the essence of design lies in the control and information of the process that holistically involves all the aspects mentioned above, rather than in formal research, it is necessary to understand technologies and analyze the advantages that they can bring in terms of environmental sustainability and product innovation.

This book provides a clear picture of how computational processes are gradually permeating and innovating the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction sector, contributing to sustainability and aesthetic evolution. It achieves that by gathering a collection of accounts shared by pioneering professionals involved in this innovation, drawing from recent academic studies, ongoing experimental processes conducted in cutting-edge architectural and engineering offices, as well as innovative industrial applications. The covered subjects span a wide range, including artificial intelligence and robotic manufacturing, the metaverse and 3D printing, strategies to counter CO2 consumption through plug-ins, as well as emerging materials and construction techniques. The chapters feature authors who are pioneers and embrace roles like software developers, architects, process engineers, academics, and forward-thinking entrepreneurs. They represent authoritative references within a broader interconnected cultural and technological system; an eclectic system that finds in computational processes the key to addressing the new challenges of contemporary architecture.

This book discusses how the role of traditional construction professional is changing, providing a useful guide for practitioners who would like to upskill themselves. Lately, core concepts and methodologies for the Built Environment are presented providing definitions and applications on Building Information Modelling, Computational Design, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Data Analytics and Visualization, Lean Construction, Advanced Project Management, Sustainability, Geographical Information Systems, Advanced Business Models, Disaster Management, Quality Management, Health and Safety and Legal prospective. The book also shows the latest technologies for the Built Environment including Digital Twins, Reality Capture, Extended Reality, Gamification, Computational Construction and Manufacturing, Structural Health Monitoring, Smart Transaction and Cybersecurity. Trends in soft skills for the Built Environment are presented covering Digital Working, Communication, Self and Relationship Management skills and Critical thinking. The book is dedicated to professionals who would like to enhance their understanding and capabilities to operate in the Industry 4.0 for the Built Environment having a holistic and comprehensive overview.