Photo Credits:
Michael Lyrenmann
About the Workshop
As the AEC industry repositions to include automation in construction processes, the architect’s role in design to fabrication and manufacturing may become increasingly separated from a building’s fabrication strategy. In order to benefit from the opportunities that digital fabrication has to offer in this important transition, architects must have a working knowledge of advanced fabrication strategies in order to best integrate these into design. This is akin to getting to know one's builder and their processes. Open-source tools linking design with advanced fabrication technologies play a key role in supporting the development of the construction industry, allowing for better collaboration between various disciplines.
This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the ABB’s GoFa collaborative robot and COMPAS_RRC, an extension of the larger Python based COMPAS framework, which allows for an easy-to-use online control of ABB industrial robots. Through exercises working at scale, you will learn how to connect your design environment (Rhino/Grasshopper) to fabrication processes with an ABB robot and work through a Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) workflow tailored to architectural design.
This workshop focuses on practical experience, interdisciplinary collaboration, and scalable design to fabrication logic. Through small-scale exercises, you will learn how to model processes and develop the skills necessary to realize digital parametric designs with robotic fabrication. We will end the week with a design charrette, leveraging DfMA principles and robotic fabrication techniques.
Whether you’re new to robotics or looking to integrate automation into your design workflow, this workshop will equip you with the necessary skills to explore the power of industrial robotics for architectural design and fabrication.
Dates
July 2-6
November 26-30
Location
Room 209, Architecture Building
Carleton University
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
Price
$1500 +HST
Prerequisites
Knowledge:
Basic experience with Rhino
Basic experience with Grasshopper is an advantage, but not required
Basic experience with Python is an advantage, but not required
Equipment/Software:
Windows laptop (Windows 10 or higher)
Rhino 7 or 8 installed on your computer with a valid license
Workshop Instructor
Adonis Lau
Adonis is a Master of Architecture graduate from Carleton University. His thesis work and research at CSALT focuses on the integration of parametric design tools used in architecture (Rhino/Grasshopper) with advanced manufacturing and fabrication techniques using industrial robotics for prefabricated insulated panels for the retrofitting of highly deformed existing buildings. He has 5+ years experience working with Grasshopper and 2+ years working with COMPAS_RRC and ABB industrial robots.
He works closely with the COMPAS_RRC team to continuously improve its user experience, functionality, learning resources, and integration with design tools used in architecture and he is the contact person for COMPAS_RRC Canada. Adonis co-taught a workshop on COMPAS_RRC and ABB robots at the international ROB|ARCH conference in 2024 for practitioners and educators alongside Philippe Fleischmann (Head Robotics Technician from ETH Zurich). He has also co-taught the Digital Design and Fabrication elective at Carleton Architecture for undergraduate and graduate students alongside Professor Sheryl Boyle for the last two years.