The digital era in architecture has witnessed the production of a vast array of geometrical assemblies through computational form-finding methods in previous decades. With the developments in digital fabrication, the production and assembly of complex forms has been compromised by the constraints of selected fabrication techniques. In recent years, robotic fabrication processes implemented in architecture have begun to incorporate digital and physical paradigms in an unparalleled way due to the multi-axis freedom of an industrial robot arm, its speed, precision, and low tolerances (Menges, 2013). This development in turn has fuelled the revival of complexity found in volumetric assemblies, moving away from previous standardized / sheet-material component fabrication (McGee et. al., 2013). The capacity to design and produce volumetric building components through robotic carving strategies presents itself as a novel approach where custom-made assemblies can be produced with speed and precision, allowing for the creation of complex forms which would not have been possible with standardized building materials and processes (Brell-Cokcan and Braumann, 2010).
This year AA Istanbul Visiting School has investigated the design and fabrication of a self-standing structure through the integration of computational and robotic processes. This agenda was explored by focusing on a combination of structural, morphological, and contextual factors which our design intervention was expected to respond in order to differentiate its material and geometrical organization.
The computational setup for the design explorations reflects the interactive associations between different computational tools as a key driver in recognizing the ways of integrating digital experiments with fabrication constraints. The computational tool-set has included Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, Karamba, RhinoVault, among others.
Our physical investigations were based on the use of Robotic Hot-Wire Cutting (RHWC) processes with an innovative approach which have informed our design options. We have worked with the geometrical and physical principles of RHWC, in turn transforming these principles into design inputs. In this way, our digital and physical tests have informed each other simultaneously.
Credits
Programme Director: Elif Erdine
Host School Coordinator: Prof.Dr. Sebnem Yalınay Çinici
Visiting School Director: Christopher Pierce
Tutors: Aslı Aydın, Cemal Koray Bingöl, Elif Erdine, Efe Gözen, Gamze Gündüz, Alexandros Kallegias, Benay Gürsoy Toykoç.
Students: Doğukan Aktaş, Mertcan Avcı, Şaziye Lofcalı, Golden Nadimi, İlkan Cemre Acar, Foad Sarsangi, Serkan Burak Can Çangır, Seda Öznal, Batuhan Uğurtan, Berk Ekmen, Yıldırım Erbaz, Özgüç Bertuğ Çapunaman, Nur Horsanalı, Elif Soylu, Marwa Altai, Yağmur Pelin Keleş, Laila Arafeh, Ayşegül Özarmut, Özge Saygan, Eylül Bulgun, Elham Karimi, Aylin Güler, Öznur Akpolat, Ela Bora, Tipp Bongers, Sevim Zeynep Kaçar, Raazia Hasnain Nanjee, Melani Kuruğoğlu, Eda Esen, Kıvılcım Göksu Toprak, Nur Kayalı, Efe İnce, Konuralp Şenol, Öykü Özal, Derya Çiftnamlı, Mehmet Yunus Gümüş, Nur Sipahioğlu, Aslı Ersan, Madeeha Ayub, Dilara Hadroviç, Emil Traian Andrei Pop, Seetharam Venkata Vallabhaneni, Sai Prasad Bakthavalsalan, Omar El Geneidy, Selcen Fidan.