Robotic Fabrication Masterclass and Symposium

In the framework of the exhibition, Hello Robot: Design Between Human and Machine, the Research[x]Design research group of the Department of Architecture KU Leuven and Design Museum Ghent organise a masterclass and symposium on robotic fabrication in design and architecture.

Masterclass: Design for Robotic Fabrication
Do you want to work with a collaborative industrial robot to make prototypes and installations? This masterclass will help you.

Design for Robotic Fabrication introduces participants into the process of designing and programming a robot, through an intensive hands-on workshop, resulting in a series of prototypes and an installation that will be exhibited in the Design Museum.

The masterclass is aimed at students and professionals in architecture, design and arts, prior knowledge of 3D modeling is required. The masterclass will introduce participants into computational design tools and fabrication workflows. The aim is to program an industrial robot arm in order to build material prototypes and constructions, from design to fabrication in one week.

Design for Robotic Fabrication is taught by Corneel Cannaerts, architect, designer and researcher interested in the impact of technology on the design and making of architecture.

Symposium: Fabricating Futures
What can architects and designers come up if design and fabrication become robotic?

The installation that will be built during the masterclass will be the starting point for reflections, presentations and discussion on the impact of robots on the design and fabrication processes. The invited speakers will introduce you to the possibilities of computational design and robotic fabrication. Today and in the future.

What is the impact of these technologies on the role of the designer? How do these fabrication methods relate to traditional means of fabrication? Which evolutions are there within the field of computational design and robotic fabrication? And what will their impact be architecture and design? Invited speakers are:

Gilles Retsin, co-director, Design Computation Lab, University College London
Elise Elsacker, PhD researcher, Architectural Engineering Lab, VUB
Thibaut Van Dousselaere & Silke van Geeteruyen, Vakgroep Architectuur en Stedenbouw, UGent

Timing: Masterclass, 26th-29th March, Symposium on Friday 30th March.

Location: Masterclass, in MMlab Departement Architectuur, Faculteit Architectuur, Campus Sint-Lucas Ghent, Symposium and exhibition in Designanseum, Gent.

Enrollment: Send an email including a short motivation and a selection of relevant work to corneel.cannaerts@kuleuven.be, register for the symposium through this link. Admission for both masterclass and symposium is free.

Contact: Corneel Cannaerts, Research[x]Design, MMlab, Departement Architectuur

Material sponsored by hisfa.