SensiLab Studio Skin

BACKGROUND Within architecture this project contributes to research in algorithmic design and the architectural application of robotic fabrication. This project is part of my ongoing generative design research that uses behavioral processes of design, which draw on the logic of swarm intelligence and operate through multi-agent algorithms. In particular through this project an algorithmic approach was developed that encodes the logic and limitations of 3D printing within the generative design process. This project contributes to my larger research agenda focused on the architectural implications of 3D printing, exploring how this new technology will have an important influence on the form and articulation of the buildings we design. This specific project is for the design of a 3D printed studio to be constructed within a larger open-plan space. CONTRIBUTION This project constitutes one of the first applications of 3D printed polymers within architecture and creates a valuable contribution to the development and discourse surrounding architectural implications of large-scale 3D printing. Designing a 3D printed project of this scale enabled the exploration and development of the architectonic and ornamental qualities of 3D printing. The project represents an important step in the developing the architectural possibilities of 3D polymer printing of buildings. SIGNIFICANCE The significance of the project is both within the architectural discourse of robotic fabrication as well as having a wider impact on the construction sector. RMIT Architectural Robotics Lab's development of architectural approaches to 3D printing and direct deposition robotic fabrication has been published internationally as book chapters, and conference papers: this adds to this body of research and is being published internationally.