Resurrecting the master builder: A pedagogical strategy for robotic construction

As software interfaces become more intuitive and require less technical expertise, the robotic arm is not only becoming a tool for automating bespoke construction, it is becoming a tool to help bring the concept of the Master Builder back to the architectural profession. Being analogous to a human arm, it is easy to imagine limitless possibilities the robotic arm. However, understanding and utilizing it for the purpose of construction requires more knowledge than just imagining it as prosthetic. Besides a fundamental understanding of the digital workflow from the initial design based data (3D modelling) to machine understandable data (proprietary output code), it requires the design and conception of the robot's physical environment from the tool at the end of its arm (end effector) to its physical surroundings(work cell). Contemporary software tools provide the capabilities for manufacturing purposes and allow for virtual simulations of the production process, ensuring higher rates of success for construction. It is the crossover between the virtual environment and the physical world that will empower architects of the future to reclaim the title of master builders as they will be required to not only comprehend but design and participate in the entire building process inclusive of the manufacturing of components. This paper outlines a pedagogical framework to introduce the multi-layered levels of knowledge to students of architecture that will allow them to use a 6-axis robotic arm for the purpose of automated construction, making them aware of a new and complex building process that will be integral to redefining architecture in the near future. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.