The Department of Architecture at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design (University of Pennsylvania, USA) organized a panel discussion on the 27th of September, 2021 to discuss the launch of a new program. The discussed topic was titled “Architecture and Robotics: New Modes of Practice and Pedagogy”; and was moderated by Assistant Professor Robert Stuart-Smith. In the year 2020, the school launched a new Master of Science in Design program (MSD): Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) and also completed the new Advanced Research and Innovation Lab (ARI) by bringing in industrial robots to the school’s Meyerson Hall. The ARI is built with state-of-the-art fabrication and modeling techniques. A course on material formations was developed which introduces the topics of robots and robotic production. It encourages one to think differently about design and create unique performances.
The main reason why the school chose robotics is because architectural practice is changing fast and this topic was under-investigated or not taken too seriously in many schools. The program looks at the integration of robotics material fabrication and design computation in the pursuit of architectural design. The degree guides the graduates to go beyond automation, towards more intelligent means of engaging with the world at large to address the industry 4.0 shift.
New Modes
User-centered and autonomous systems help in building knowledge and skills through experimental fabricated prototypes. The new modes facilitate engagement in architectural discourse and discussions on the topics of cybernetics, and policy of space making. The one-year program is uniquely designed considering advanced scientific research, real-time robot programming, and augmented reality.
The University through these new modes aims to address several questions. How can they enable their graduates to function with a greater agency in a rapidly changing Posthuman world, given that robotics, 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and machine learning technologies are already influencing many facets of our lives? What is the university design research offering in terms of addressing challenges like social and economic injustice or climate change? What effects on design authorship or aesthetics result from creative contact with autonomous systems?
Through collaborative efforts, students enrolled in the course visited Switzerland to experiment with different forms of concrete and shapes in a really fun way. Students develop custom manufacturing processes that help to reduce waste and address other global issues. An example of a project is that of a holocaust cladding designed to transport urban steam waste to help grow community gardens in urban residual spaces. Through generative design methodology, higher solar exposure areas are connected to steam vent locations. Another interesting example is a multi-species façade screen which doubles as a bird habitat.
The program does not adopt materiality but rather engages with prototypes as design outcomes, to empower the graduates to not only build the knowledge or skills but to become leaders. Newer ways of looking at mass customization are sought through an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary context. The faculty stresses that we are still in the infancy stage of human-robot collaboration as very few experts are capable of using robot communication and robot collaboration effectively, mainly because it is not an engineering problem but a design problem. Labor availability and productivity have always been a concern in the construction sector and there is a need to accelerate the industry. Design opportunities, critical thinking, and industry-academia-research collaborations are a must to overcome the industry challenges.
The panel discussion provided insights into the program and also most importantly opened the floor to discuss the fact that robots are like new toys that are cumbersome and design researchers need to address social & economic inequality and climate change. Are such advanced technologies only for the elite few or are the innovators able to engage with local communities or developing economies?
These innovative advancements give students exceptional chances to learn about and become proficient in cutting-edge technologies. It also provides a platform, to consider the changing role of the architect thoughtfully and imaginatively in the face of growing automation in the building and design sectors. Early in the era of what is now called Industry 4.0, many sectors of our economy are moving away from automation and mass production to leaner, on-demand, autonomous manufacturing. This change promises more user involvement, but it is also creating unprecedented levels of consumption and waste.
Designers have a great capacity to rethink, redesign, and create novel ways to make humans and robots work together. The graduates can embrace a wide range of topics and participate directly in practicing both societal and technical transformations. The engagements with prototype outcomes, philosophical constructs, and theoretical backing, such as vital materialism, posthumanism, and object-oriented philosophy influence a designer’s mind for speculations and discussions.
Reference list:
“Architecture and Robotics: New Modes of Practice and Pedagogy.” www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=OExGVjQGVKw. Accessed 29 Jan. 2024.
