At our recent annual General Assembly and Christmas fest, the researchers of the NCCR DFAB celebrated 2022 and reflected on the highlights of the year. In spring, Researcher in Residence and “robot tamer” Madeline Gannon demonstrated new modes of interaction with our robots in the RFL. In the summer, the NCCR DFAB co-hosted the popular Future of Construction Symposium where we opened the new Circularity Park in Oberglatt. In autumn, our MAS ETH DFAB students celebrated the inauguration of the Eggshell Pavilion at the Vitra Design Museum and new researchers joined the NCCR and began developing phase 3 research. Most recently, we are proud of the winning of the Swiss Architecture ARC Digitisation Award by the HiLo NEST Module, but equally we are pleased with the ARC honourable mentions for two other MAS ETH DFAB demonstrator projects: the Clay Rotunda and Digital Bamboo pavilion. All told it has been a successful and memorable year!
As we look forward to 2023, we would like to thank all our members and subscribers for their continued interest in the NCCR Digital Fabrication, and we wish everyone happy holidays and all the best in the new year!
Research on show: Swiss Robotics Days
The "Hyper Hut Pavilion" (Gramazio Kohler Research, Victor Leung) was the focal point representing the NCCR Digital Fabrication at the 2022 Swiss Robotics Days. This timber pavilion bridges the gap between traditional practice and robotic assembly technologies. The seventh edition of the Swiss Robotics Days in Lausanne provided great opportunities for DFAB researchers, spin-off representatives and alumni to meet with academic and industry visitors. This year, the event took place over two days and was exceptionally popular for the general public on the second day.
"I'll come to your NCCR at ETH Zürich as a robot researcher", said one young participant at the recent National Future Day. The Swiss National Future Day is an opportunity for children between the ages of 10-13 to join parents at work and gain insights into possible careers. This year the NCCR Digital Fabrication, together with colleagues in Design++, organised a set of demonstrations where young visitors met researchers and technicians, and could engage with digital technologies and robots to learn about architecture and construction research.
Researcher within the NCCR DFAB are as diverse as the projects they work on. Valeria Piccioni has been a PhD researcher within the NCCR DFAB since 2020 working on performance integrated 3D-printed facades, and was recently interviewed as part of the on-going DFAB research portrait series. After introducing her work, she explains why she is fascinated with the opportunities for digital fabrication, and how research innovations can contribute to sustainable building facades for the future.
The creation of research demonstrators is a complex set of collaborative steps. This is exceptionally true with the KnitNervi demonstrator, developed by the Block Research Group (BRG) at ETH Zurich with DFAB Alumnae Dr. Mariana Popescu from the Delft University of Technology. The pavilion is a multifaceted demonstration of a flexible formwork and reinforcement system for ribbed concrete shells and draws inspiration from the great Italian architect and engineer Pier Luigi Nervi. The Pavilion is now on display at the MAXXI - National Museum of 21st Century Art in Rome.
People come to Zurich from all over the world to be part of MAS ETH DFAB! Each September a new group of MAS students begins this one-year programme where they are introduced to new technologies, new design methodologies, and engage in constructing projects using the latest knowledge in Digital Fabrication. In a new video developed to promote the education programme, our MAS alumni give insights into their experiences and the everyday life within the MAS ETH DFAB.
