Visions of Process—Swarm Intelligence and Swarm Robotics in Architectural Design and Construction

Abstract

Robotic Building implies both physically built robotic environments and robotically supported building processes. Physically built robotic environments consist of reconfigurable, adaptive systems incorporating sensor-actuator mechanisms that enable buildings to interact with their users and surroundings in real-time. These robotic environments require Design-to-Production and-Operation (D2P&O) chains that may be (partially or completely) robotically driven. This chapter describes previous work aiming to integrate D2RP&O processes by linking performance-driven design with robotic production and user-driven building operation. 5.1 Introduction While architecture and architectural production are increasingly incorporating aspects of non-human agency employing data, information, and knowledge contained within the (worldwide) network connecting electronic devices, the question is not whether but how robotic systems can be incorporated into building processes and buildings (Oosterhuis and Bier 2013). This chapter aims to answer this question by reflecting on the achievements of the Robotic Building (RB) team at Technical University Delft (TU Delft) and by identifying future steps. The focus is on an architecture that is robotically enabled to interact with its users and surroundings in real-time and the corresponding Design-to-Production and-Operation (D2P&O) processes that are (in part or as whole) robotically driven. Such modes of production and operation involve agency of both humans and non-humans. Thus agency is not The original version of the book was revised: Open access text has been updated in FM, Chapter