2021: A Steam Odyssey Features AR-Integrated Fabrication Developed by Soomeen Hahm & Igor Pantic

Plunge into a reality where humans, machines and data work together to fabricate fabulous structures! 2021: A Steam Odyssey by SCI-Arc design faculty and robotics researcher Soomeen Hahm in collaboration with Igor Pantic, a London-based architect and designer presents that unique way to build while you are immersed in augmented reality.

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Exhibited in the SCI-Arc Gallery, the design team has explored a novel application of augmented technology on architectural design and construction. 2021: A Steam Odyssey conceptualize the idea of AR refreshing traditional craftsmanship by augmenting hand and material skills with the accuracy and wide-ranging possibilities of digital modelling. The execution lodges the territory between purely automated and robotically-driven fabrication, incorporating the highly crafted processes with human labour.

The central attraction of the exhibition showcases a structure assembled out of steam-bent hardwood. The designers used primitive hand tools augmented with precise and intelligent holographic guides. The design explores alternative strategies for the fabrication of digitally designed architectural structures. The innovative head-mounted devices (HMDs) holographically assist workers in the manufacturing and assembly of speckled components through traditional craft techniques.

2021: A Steam Odyssey explores a full-scale section of a larger inhabitable space, embodying the next evolutionary step of Soomeen Hamh’s ongoing research into complex timber structures, configured with the aid of AR. Initially, the method was developed for the 2019 Tallinn Biennale Steampunk Pavilion (designed by Hahm, Pantic, Gwyllim Jahn, and Cameron Newnham), which further voyaged into the realm of fully functional space.

Hahm says that it is crucial to understand that augmented reality-assisted fabrication is not to be seen as an alternative to automation and robotics, but aiming to expand the understanding of automated production. He also adds the team’s interest in weaving the interaction between human, machine, and data, and their mutual relationships throughout computational design and fabrication processes.
2021: A Steam Odyssey builds on this idea!

Project Details
Project Credit: SoomeenHahm Design & Igor Pantic
Design Team: Soomeen Hahm, Igor Pantic, Hanjun Kim
Construction Team: DaeWoong Kim, Shun Sasaki
App Design: MoFei Li
Video Edit: Yiguan Liu
Consultant: Format Engineers
SCI-Arc Directors: Hernan Diaz Alonso, John Enright
SCI-Arc Staffs: Gabriel Henandez, Emil Tatevosian, Reginald Benson, Stephanie Atlan, Marija Radisavljevic
Special Thanks: Lou Xiao, Minxuo Qi, Ji Qi, Shelley Luo, Jiin Jeong, Kevin Foley, Ilaria Lu, Alexandeos Lewis, Jonah Klinghoffer, Buros Celis, SangHyun Suh, Eva Besmerti, Carlo Stuken