Robotic Building: Architecture in the Age of Automation

How does the use of robots affect architecture?

The use of robots in architecture is already commonplace: Robots automate processes that were previously done manually; complex shapes are created with the help of 3D printing; and autonomous swarm robots construct complex buildings. The potential of using robotics in architecture, structural design, and structural engineering is far from being fully exploited. A number of important questions need to be answered: How does the use of robots influence the resulting structures; how does it affect the way in which architects who work with robots think and plan? “Robotic Building” answers these questions and more, drawing on a variety of practical examples. A final chapter explores the idea of architect as robot, the fully-automated home and similar concepts in which the robot merges with its environment and becomes part of our experience.