Designing with Digital Fabrication

©Fologram DesigningwithDigitalFabrication ABOUTFORESIGHT Foresight,ResearchandInnovationisArup’sinternalthink-tankandconsultancywhichfocusesonthefutureofthebuiltenvironmentandsocietyatlarge.Wehelporganisationsunderstandtrends,explorenewideas,andradicallyrethinkthefutureoftheirbusinesses.Wedevelopedtheconceptof‘foresightbydesign’,whichusesinnovativedesigntoolsandtechniquestobringnewideastolife,andtoengageallstakeholdersinmeaningfulconversationsaboutchange. Contactusatforesight@arup.com CONTACTS ALVISESIMONDETTI GlobalLeaderExploresProgrammeGlobalForesight,ResearchandInnovationalvise.simondetti@arup.com JONELLESIMUNICH GlobalManagerExploresProgrammeGlobalForesight,ResearchandInnovationjonelle.simunich@arup.com CHRISLUEBKEMAN ArupFellow GlobalForesight,ResearchandInnovation chris.luebkeman@arup.com COVERIMAGE AbricklayerincreaseshisprecisionusingFologram’sARGogglestoassembleahigh-performancecomplexformwall. PublishedJuly2020 Version1.2 Contents Foreword4 Executivesummary6 Introduction10 1Definitions,assumptionsandlimitations12 1.1Definitions 1.2Assumptionsandlimitations 2Techniques22 2.1Additive 2.2Subtractive 2.3Forming 2.4Roboticassembly 3Implications46 3.1Design 3.2Business 3.3Society(UNSDGs) 4Actions60 4.1Observe 4.2Engage 4.3Practice 5Programmemethodology74 Postscript76 References78 13FitzroyStreetLondon W1T4BQ www.arup.com Foreword FIONACOUSINS ArupFellow Nomatterwheretheyareintheworld,thebestdesignersworkwiththepeoplewhowillmaketheirwork.Manufacturingandconstructionprocessespresentdesignerswithconstraintsandopportunities,influencingthekindsofmaterialsthatcanbeused,theshapesthatcanbeformed,andthecostofmakingthework. Wehavetakenacloselookatdigitalfabricationinthisreport,reviewingandexplainingthisfast-movingworld.Theearliestdigitalfabricationtechniqueswerepioneeredabout50yearsagoandtheirusefulness isnowincreasingrapidly,throughdevelopmentofthetechniquesthemselvesandthroughthechanges inherentintheworld’sbroaderdigitaltransformation.Thesechangesareenormouslyexcitingfordesignersopeningupnewpossibilitieswithbothnewandtraditionalconstructionmaterials. Thechangesarepervasive.Ourabilitytouseorganicmaterialsisimprovedthroughdigitalscanning thatassessestheirstrengthandshape,followedbydigitalfabricationtechniquesthatallowthemtobeformedaccuratelyusingroboticmethods.Traditionalconstructionmaterialscannowbeformedusingadditivefabricationmethods,allowingtherealisation ©Fologram COMPLEXBLOCKASSEMBLYWITH AUGMENTEDREALITY AnunskilledworkshopparticipantperformscomplexassemblyusingFologram’sARGoggles.(RobArch2018,RoboticFabricationinArchitecture,Zurich) ofcomplexgeometries,resultingfromallkindsofdesignpriorities:theoptimisationofmaterialuse,thecreationofspecificformsortheneedtoaccommodateexistingconditions.Machinelearningtechniquesareaugmentingandsupersedingtraditionalprogrammingtoimprovetheabilityofrobotstoformmaterials,anddigitallycontrolledprocessescanachievehigherlevelsofconstructionprecisionthanhumans.Thetechniquesthemselvesmaycreatelesshomogeneousmaterialsallowingforlocalisationofmaterialproperties. Ofcourse,noteverytechniqueisreadyforuseincommercialconstruction,andAruphasdevelopedanassessmentscaletoallowustoevaluatereadiness.Wehavealsoidentifiedsomekeychallengesthatarisefromtheuseofthesenewtechniques:theneedtoprovidequalitycontrolforadditivelyproducedmaterialsandtheslownessofconstructioncodestochange. Thepotentialimpactonourworkisclear.Wemustfamiliariseourselveswithdigitalfabricationandthenworkwithfabricatorsandcontractorstomakebestuseofthechangesinmaterials,constructionaccuracyandabilitytoproducemassbespokeformsthatthesetechniquesvariouslyprovide. Executivesummary Theopportunitiesunfoldingwithdigitalfabricationnotonlydemonstratenewtechniquesinfull-scalepavilionfabrication,butalsoprovidenewmethodstosolvedesign,businessandsocietalchallenges.AsDr.CaitlinMuellerofMITDigitalStructuresremindsus:“Thebuiltenvironmentisaverybadperformer.Digitalfabricationmakesstructurallyefficientformseconomicaltobuild.” Inthiscontext,thegoalismaximumreductionofmaterialandwastewithminimumdisruptiontothetraditionalconstructionmethodstoensurefastadoption.Itisnottodemonstrateanothernoveltechnique. Byenablingcomplexformsoptimisedformaterialandwastereduction,digitalfabricationisakeyenablerforourindustrytomeetgrowingglobaldemandformoreinfrastructureandbuildingswhileoperatingwithinanincreasinglyresource-constrainedworld. Digitalfabricationenablesbespokesolutions,inadditiontocomplexhigh-performancedesignsthatarefreefrommanualfabricationconstraintsincludingstandardisation,simplicityandscale.Someday soon,designingandmakingdecisionswithonlymanualfabricationwillbecomeredundantandevendetrimental. Thisbriefingnotefocusesontoday’scomputercontroloffabrication;itbuildsonourpreviousArupExploresAIwithMachineLearningbriefingnoteandprovidesanalternativeplausiblefuturetoindustrialisedconstructionandindustrialapplicationofrobotics andonlyhintsattheverylivelyfutureofdigitalfabrication. Byenhancingthehumanwithprecision,asopposedtoreplacingthehuman,digitalfabr