Robotic Fabrication of Non-Standard Material

Abstract

This paper illustrates a fabrication methodology through which the inherent form of large non-linear timber components was exploited in the Wood Chip Barn project by the students of Design + Make at the Architectural Association’s Hooke Park campus. Twenty distinct Y-shaped forks are employed with minimal machining in the construction of a structural truss for the building. Through this workflow, low-value branched sections of trees are transformed into complex and valuable building components using non-standard technologies. Computational techniques, including parametric algorithms and robotic fabrication methods, were used for execution of the project. The paper addresses the various challenges encountered while processing irregular material, as well as limitations of the robotic tools. Custom algorithms, codes, and post-processors were developed and integrated with existing software packages to compensate for drawbacks of industrial and parametric platforms. The project demonstrates and proves a new methodology for working with complex, large geometries which still results in a low cost, time- and quality-efficient process.