RobARCH

Informal Material Formation

Workshop des Instituts für Tragwerksentwurf, TU Graz in cooperation with Material Processes and Systems (MaPs) Group, Harvard GSD at Rob|Arch 2014

The workshop invites participants to explore the opportunities that arise when unpredictable scrap materials is to be configured into desirable design outcomes. This involves rethinking the essence of ‘design’ itself. In the workshop design is the constant negotiation between what is desired and what is available, what is fixed and what is open-ended, what is controlled by designers and what is managed by the system. After introducing the theoretical framework for Informal Material Formation the workshop directly engages participants by exploring the enabling custom interface for Rhino and Grasshopper (developed at Harvard GSD). This environment computationally coordinates the computer vision system and its related robotic motion with the design input from participants. Participants will be able to pursue their own design interests and agendas within this framework, with a focus on physical prototyping of experimental designs.