Digital-Material Feedback in Architectural Design

Abstract

This paper studies the architectural potential of the implementation of material feedback using computer vision before and during an automated fabrication process. The combination of an industrial robot and a 3D camera is used expand the typical one-way design and fabrication process (from a digital design to a physical output), to a feedback loop, where specific material information becomes the main trigger of design decisions and fabrication processes. Several projects developed by the authors and tested during a robotic workshop aim to unveil different aspects of material feedback in architectural design, opening a discussion for the benefit and challenges of this new approach to design and fabrication.