A Didactic Pedagogical Approach toward Sustainable Architectural Education through Robotic Tectonics

Xinyu Shi, Xue Fang, Zhoufan Chen, Tyson Keen Phillips and Hiroatsu Fukuda
Additional contact information
Xinyu Shi: iSMART, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266061, China
Xue Fang: iSMART, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266061, China
Zhoufan Chen: Perkins and Will, Los Angeles, CA 90017, USA
Tyson Keen Phillips: Robotics Lab, IDEAS Campus, Architecture and Urban Design, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Hiroatsu Fukuda: Faculty of Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 802-8577, Japan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-14

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.

Keywords: sustainability; robotic tectonics; architectural education; automated construction; workshops (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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