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About

Gilles Retsin is an architect and computational design researcher whose work sits at the intersection of digital fabrication, robotic manufacturing, and architectural theory. Based at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, where he co-directs the B-Pro Research Cluster 4, Retsin has pioneered the concept of "discrete architecture" — a fundamentally digital approach to building design that draws inspiration from the field of Digital Materials to rethink how structures are assembled from standardized, combinatorial units. His most influential contribution, "Discrete Assembly and Digital Materials in Architecture" (2016, 28 citations), establishes a theoretical and practical framework for treating architectural design as inherently computational rather than merely computer-aided. This work is complemented by significant research into robotic additive manufacturing, including novel non-layered spatial extrusion methods and combinatorial toolpath strategies that push large-scale 3D printing beyond conventional layer-by-layer limitations. Retsin's broader intellectual project asks whether automation and digital assembly could democratize architecture — making it simultaneously more technically sophisticated and culturally accessible. His editorial work in "Bits and Pieces: Digital Assemblies" (2019) further synthesizes these themes, positioning discrete computation as a transformative force connecting traditional craft with emerging automated construction methodologies.