MRAC 24/25 Applied Theory II

The Master in Robotics and Advanced Construction prepares a new generation of interdisciplinary professionals who are capable of facing our growing need for a more sustainable and optimised construction eco-system, with a focus on the emerging design and market opportunities arising from novel robotic and advanced manufacturing systems. While the Digitalization in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector is slow due to significant challenges in technology adoption 1, a number of advanced technological applications have emerged in recent years, within the research realm with a few making their way onto the market. This comes in an effort to respond to increasing housing demands, the need for an increased speed in construction, the adoption of a more complex architectural design language and unstandardized applications, all while aiming for an (EU) economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.2

To date, the built environment requires vast amounts of resources and accounts for about 50% of all extracted material. The construction sector is responsible for over 35% of the EU’s total waste generation. Greenhouse gas emissions from material extraction, manufacturing of construction products, as well as construction and renovation of buildings are estimated at 5-12% of total national GHG emissions, and the building sector remains a major contributor to energy consumption and CO2  emissions in the European Union (EU), accounting for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of energy-related emissions.3

The Applied Theory course hence aims to develop a critical reflection on the role of technology in the sector, it’s more relevant applications, while giving the MRAC students access to the front runners of this multidisciplinary field, who, through a master class format, share the challenges and learnings of their professional engagements in real case applications. Applied theory is therefore a platform where the students have direct contact with professionals from diverse areas of expertise, furthering their formation and knowledge towards their own personal development in research, the industry and the professional realm in general. 

Following the development in Term 1 of a critical map of the industry under 4 different Frameworks: Scanning for Building Innovation; Robotic Craft Interaction; Advanced Manufacturing for non-standardised Materials; Advanced Fabrication for Circular Materials; the second term focuses on critical & design thinking in response to issues identified by the industry, with the goal of building a case study using a specific material or process identified in Term 1 and developed by the students in their STUDIO II course in parallel. Students are asked to argue their choices and align their project’s outcome with highlighted expected impacts outlined by the European commission (European Green Deal elements). 

Through a case study, students will learn to develop academic research projects (TRL4-6) onto a market application (TRL 8-9). 

Learning Objectives 

The course is furthermore oriented towards the development of students´ critical thinking capacities, engaging the students in a series of debates, questioning diverse approaches and possible outcomes, as well as the development of conclusive outputs. Through a dynamic mapping of construction technologies, processes and their diverse applications in the construction sector, students will gain insights into industry needs and the utilisation of the knowledge gained throughout the MRAC, building towards propositive and innovative visions for practice along the three central topics of the Master Programme: Materialising with Machines, Scanning and Learning Machines, Human-Machine collaboration.

• Develop students’ critical thinking capacity by engaging them in a series of master class lectures with robotic experts.
• Learn how to contextualize a project in wider frameworks (EU Green Deal: Circular Economy Action Plan, Horizon Europe, New European Bauhaus)
• Gain an understanding of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessments and position their project within that scale.