Traditional timber construction relies on the “standardized beam,” a product of intensive industrial processing that strips wood of its natural morphology to satisfy rectilinear architectural norms. This conversion process not only consumes significant energy but also ignores the superior structural performance inherent in the continuous fiber direction of raw logs and bifurcations.
This workshop challenges the paradigm of material homogenization by proposing a material-driven robotic fabrication workflow. We seek to address the geometric friction between non-standard, curvilinear timber and the rectilinear constraints of contemporary architectural space. By integrating 6-axis robotic manipulation with “brute” subtractive tools—specifically the chainsaw—the research investigates how high-precision digital control can be applied to high-torque, low-fidelity tools.
Through 3-D scanning and digital material cataloging, participants will rationalize the stochastic geometries of raw timber. The workshop aims to develop computational strategies that leverage these natural forms, utilizing robotic subtractive processes to execute bespoke joinery that allows irregular bifurcations to interface with predefined architectural boundaries.
Who is this workshop for?
This workshop is designed for researchers, practitioners, and students interested in non-standard wood joineries and robotic assembly. It is particularly suited for those looking to explore the synergy between human-scale industrial tools and robotic precision, focusing on how the added degrees of freedom in 6-axis systems can be leveraged to navigate irregular material topographies.
Workshop Takeaways
- Technical Evaluation: Analyze the operational constraints and kinematic possibilities inherent in robotic chainsaw workflows.
- Material Analysis: Compare the structural behavior and geometric irregularities of raw timber (logs and bifurcations) against standardized, industrially processed wood products.
- Computational Workflows: Implement digital material cataloging (3D scanning) and “bottom-up” design methodologies driven by inherent material data.
- Robotic Optimization: Develop optimized 6-axis toolpaths for the automated production of bespoke joinery within irregular geometries.
Participant take aways:
- Algorithmic Design: Development of computational logic to negotiate the interface between irregular material inputs and formal design intent.
- Fabrication Programming: Generation and simulation of robotic toolpaths, ensuring collision avoidance and proper tool management
- Physical Assembly: Execution of robotic cuts and the systematic assembly of the final structural agglomeration.
Expected Outcomes
- Modular Assembly: A collective structural system composed of individual student-designed nodes and members.
- Structural Integration: An exploration of how natural timber morphology—specifically grain direction and bifurcations—can serve as primary load-bearing elements for complex boundary conditions.
- Joinery Research: A series of “brute” robotic subtractive joints that demonstrate efficient material removal and rapid interfacing of non-standard geometries.
Hritik Thumar
Hritik Thumar is an architect with a Master’s in Robotics and Advanced Construction from IAAC in Barcelona, whose experience spans Tropical Modernist architectural work in Vietnam, computational design and AI research at Coop Himmelb(l)au in Vienna, and advanced robotic fabrication at La Máquina, where he currently works as a robotics expert within the engineering and production team. Skilled in Grasshopper, machine learning, and hardware programming, he focuses on integrating emerging technologies into architectural design and fabrication, promoting innovative workflows that expand the possibilities of contemporary practice.
Pit Siebenaler
Pit Siebenaler is an architect with a degree from La Cambre Horta in Brussels and a Master’s in Robotics and Advanced Construction from IAAC. At IAAC, Pit specialised in integrating sensing workflows with robotic manufacturing to repurpose wood, promoting sustainable building practices. Currently, Pit serves as a research assistant and robotics expert at IAAC, supporting the Master’s program in Robotics and Advanced Construction.
