The Master in Robotics and Advanced Construction (MRAC) seeks to train a new generation of interdisciplinary professionals who are capable of facing our growing need for a more sustainable and optimised construction ecosystem. The Master is focused on the emerging design and market opportunities arising from novel robotic and advanced manufacturing systems.
Through a mixture of seminars, workshops, and studio projects, the master programme challenges the traditional processes in the Construction Sector. It investigates how advances in robotics and digital fabrication tools change the way we build and develop processes and design tools for such new production methods.
An Intersectional Investigation Robotics is the field of study focused on the research and application of robotic systems. This definition, however, doesn’t provide much insight. So, what is a robot? Robots are machines that can operate autonomously or through programmed input to perform specific tasks, often replacing human effort. These tasks are typically complex and … Read more
Supply Chain Opportunity to Solve The immense volume of organic waste generated by Brazil’s agricultural and food industries, including residues from cocoa, açaí, Brazil nuts, passion fruit, cupuaçu, buriti, and murumuru, represents a significant untapped resource. These byproducts, often discarded without proper utilization, contribute to environmental challenges and economic losses. Many of the companies highlighted, … Read more
Introduction This seminar invites students to explore making custom made spillers controlled by Arduino and a 6-axes robotic arm in order to paint spills on canvas with black acrylic paint. Context Recently we have clearly observed immense changes in production, prototyping, and innovation that has been influenced by open source software, firmware and hardware. Human … Read more
Cork-based 3d printing – Topological Optimisation Design Introduction The seminar invites students to explore new materials, additive processes and new fields of applications through robotic 3d printing taking advantage of the potential of the 6-axes of the robotic arm. Context Recently we have clearly observed immense changes in architectural design development. Architecture has been influenced … Read more
Team member(s)：zeyu chao, Elizabeth.frias.martinez，Chi.Lee 3Dprint pavilion Introduction This project explores the large-scale robotic clay printing of a pavilion, with the geometry divided into four equal segments. The chosen geometry, Segment 1, was further developed into modular units to optimize the construction process. The modular approach allows for efficient fabrication and assembly, enhancing the structural and … Read more
The Software-I seminar introduces computational design strategies for robotic fabrication, focusing on the software aspects of these processes. The following exercises cover different manufacturing strategies that translate digital models into buildable forms through precise toolpath development and simulation. These include an end-to-end process from conceptual design to the generation of fabrication files for robotic systems, … Read more
How might we improve clay 3D printing by integrating automated post-processing techniques and hybrid workflows?Our goal is to implement craftsmanship techniques to robotic processes to elevate surface finishes & improve dimensional accuracy to create new opportunities for the mass customization of clay. Introducing our project Clay Virtuoso. Our project focuses on how might we enhance … Read more
Aim Our objective is to construct a wall with an emphasis on maximizing the utilization of construction and demolition waste, thereby minimizing landfill contributions. This will be achieved by incorporating a sustainable binder through advanced robotic processes. Context Construction and demolition waste accounts around 30% of waste generated in Europe, making it the heaviest and … Read more
Context Is additive manufacturing going to change the way we fabricate? Certainly it is, additive manufacturing has an immense growth potential with a 22% annual growth as it has offers mass customization and reduced waste. One of the challenges in additive manufacturing is to improve the precision and reliability of the manufacturing process. This can … Read more
Mechanical Inserts for 3D printed Clay Due to land scarcity, the construction industry pushes architecture to shift its focus towards the entire life cycle of the final construction, considering its various phases, from its sourced material and manufacture, to its utilization and eventual end of life. Minimizing material usage and construction time has provoked the … Read more
Rapid urbanization demands more efficient construction methods: Labor shortage in the construction industry: It is important to note the type of machinery being used by these two companies for 3D printing. Tvasta uses a robotic arm equipped with an extruder for printing concrete and L&T uses a gantry system, which is a big framework inside … Read more
The objective of this project is to expand the capabilities of specific robotic processes in additive manufacturing, known as impact printing, Impact Printing, a novel additive manufacturing Robotic technique that consolidates pliable soft particles through a robotic shooting process. The cohesion among these soft particles arises from the conversion of kinetic energy, acquired during acceleration, … Read more
PROJESCT INTRODUCTION This project is a robot end-effector solution that can carry multiple objects and rotate them at different angles and displacements during a single pick and place motion. The solution solves the efficiency problem of current robotics applications in architectural masonry by outputting the robot’s spatial motion through a grasshopper and picking and placing … Read more
Brief Our curiosity brought us to an intriguing investigation at the nexus of technology, craftsmanship, and acoustics in the quest to elevate spatial design. This blog shares the story of our journey, where we used a cutting-edge multi-material 3D printing technique to produce personalized sound-diffusing walls—a first for the industry. Our concept began with a … Read more
The emergence of additive manufacturing has expanded the horizon for developing designs that are not only more environmentally sustainable but also commercially viable, addressing critical issues in our surroundings. In the field of architecture, multi-material 3D printing opens up a compelling opportunity to imbue intelligence into the surfaces of our built environment by thoughtfully selecting … Read more
State of the Art In the quest for sustainable and energy-efficient cooling solutions, the TerraCool project endeavors to harness the natural properties of clay through the innovative application of multi-material 3D printing technology. This research project aims to develop an advanced evaporative cooling system utilizing seashell ceramic. “TerraCool” is not only a testament to the … Read more
State Of The Art Utilization of robotics within the additive manufacturing world is becoming more and more standardized as the needs of people and the environment are changing. The construction industry itself has to produce more efficient structures with very little to no waste, and the capabilities of robots to do this are very apparent. … Read more
Faculty // Ricardo Mayor, Faculty Assistant // Nestor Beguin , Faculty Assistant // Sheikh Rizvi Riaz
Additive manufacturing has opened up a vast array of possibilities to the creation of more sustainable but also salable designs that can address critical issues in our environment. In the context of architecture, multi-material 3D printing opens the door for an opportunity to embed intelligence into the surfaces in our built environment through material selection … Read more
How can we improve the additive manufacturing process? According to a panel of experts, this process is not perfect. There are several issues on it, like the time that they normally spend prototyping to have “the perfect piece”. This involves different parameters like speed, pressure, Material Consistency, the calibration of the robot, etc. In most … Read more
Aim Develop prefabricated and post-processed 3D printed clay modules for self-supporting surfaces Context What could we learn from a study of Gaudi’s ceiling in Casa Batllo? This was the jumping off point of this studio. Responding to a requirement to choose an element of an Art Nouveau/Modernisme building – an opening, arch, or surface – … Read more
The annual construction waste is expected to reach 2.2 billion tons gobally by 2025, to try to solve this kind of problems in this sector we can use the Additive Manufacturing fot the optimization of Fabrication and construction. Key advantages of AM By 2020, the AM sector will grow up to a €13.4 billion industry … Read more
This research thesis seeks for an opportunity to introduce specific human actions in the additive manufacturing robotic process to generate custom and adaptive fabrication flows based on local needs and conditions and set in a cyber-physical working environment that will scan and verify the results before and after every intervention. 1. Framework According to UN, … Read more
The goal of this project is to present a Case Study about an adaptive additive manufacturing toolpath with a robotic arm. The process of printing sometimes brings variations or corrections on its way. The experiment seeks to 3d print a cylinder in clay where in the middle of the process, two pieces of PVC pipe … Read more
