A Didactic Pedagogical Approach toward Sustainable Architectural Education through Robotic Tectonics

Abstract

Robotic tectonics have been integrated into the architectural profession through automated construction for more than a decade, advancing sustainability initiatives in the industry and increasing the quality of building construction. Over the years, avant-garde architects have explored the feasibility of this new design paradigm through the integration of newly-developed digital design software into automated construction. This robotic digital workflow continues to push designers to re-think the complete architecture process (from design conception to physical construction) and guides the building industry towards more precise, efficient, and sustainable development. However, in the current environment of architectural education, professional courses can be fragmented, thematic, and overly academic. Such content is not inherently compatible with the latest technological developments. The lack of understanding and application of digital technological can subsequently lead to the lack of sustainable development in architectural education. In this paper, we aim to introduce a new didactic pedagogical approach that is reliant on the principles of robotic tectonics and is defined through linear development in four distinct, developmental stages (based on information gleaned from four “Robotic Tectonics” workshops and various other rich teaching practices). This pedagogical framework provides interdisciplinary knowledge to architecture students and enables them to use advanced digital tools such as robots for automated construction, laying the groundwork for the discovery of new and complex building processes that will redefine architecture in the near future.

Outside the school: A review of the non-formal short-term architectural workshops

“…In the mapping, the study separated this studio model into two categories to differentiate between building technologies used in the workshop: Design-build and design-fabricate. While design-to-fabricate workshops allow students to explore the potentials of computational design processes combined with new fabrication technologies "to make automated construction a reality (Shi et al, 2020)", most design-build workshops are organized for communities with low income affected by political and natural disasters living in rural areas that are not accessible to architectural services. In these workshops, sustainable, recyclable, or salvaged materials can be obtained locally, easily, and cheaply (Guner et al, 2017, p. 6868).…”

“…Cabral Filho ( 2005) accounts for the role of a series of experimental workshops to include an artistic approach to the work in a computer lab dedicated to teaching and researching architecture. Shi et al (2020) organized four "Robotic Tectonics" workshops to develop a new didactic pedagogical approach that relies on robotic tectonics principles. Among the reviewed workshops, the study determined that problem-based learning workshops are an ideal mix of practice, research, and education and balance "situations in which the transfer of practice into faculty programs influences the development of education in the form of an architecture office where educational criteria do not take priority (Momirski, 2019).…”

A Comprehensive Model of Teaching Digital Design in Architecture that Incorporates Sustainability

“…The use of algorithms and parametric design, as well as other digital technology such as computerized numerical control (CNC) fabrication and 3D printing, has made it possible to transform environmental concerns into architectural elements such as form, space, and structure, as well as built objects. Such technology provides the opportunity to integrate sustainable design into the entire architectural design process [19,21,22].…”

“…These observations are consistent with previous studies of the teaching of digital design in architecture, which examined the subject from different perspectives, such as architectural expression, the design software used, and the inclusion of BIM, digital fabrication, and material performance. Some studies found that different design software was more prominent in different areas of design; for example, the use of computer aided design (CAD) was largely restricted to the visual representation of student conceptual designs [41], BIM was used in courses that focused on the systematic concept of architectural design [16], and digital fabrication was used in courses that focused on the expression and understanding of relationships between structure, material and form [22,25,42].…”

“…She [25] also thought that sketching by creating code was not only a possibility but probably a new norm of skill and knowledge. Shi [22] argued that architecture students need to have interdisciplinary knowledge that included programming, use of algorithms and the concept of sustainable development when using advanced digital tools such as robots in automated construction. A teacher may use class time to teach programming knowledge, mathematical knowledge and interdisciplinary knowledge because they can be difficult to acquire otherwise, which is why they appear in the upper left quadrant as a demand for teaching time.…”