This book by Fabio Gramazio, Matthias Kohler, and Jan Willmann acts as the connection between data and building materials. Where these two phenomena are growing ever closer, with digital information not just informing plans but actually being used to create the material that will construct a building―robots are necessarily playing a large role in architecture. The synthesis of data and material, which failed to develop in the early digital age, is being realized in today’s architecture. This becomes apparent in various medial, spatial, and structural manifestations; where data and material can no longer be interpreted as parallel features but rather as being innate expressions of architecture, that have become essential to construction in a new digital age. Yet the use of robots in architecture has not been treated comprehensively until now. The Robotic Touch features thirty research projects on robots in architecture originating at ETH Zurich, documenting various methods and concepts relating to the use of robots in architecture.
Closely related to this development is the increasing use of robots in the building process; enabling the fundamental integration of data and material, programming, and construction, where processes are developed based on fixed rules, analyzed, and then translated to practical construction.
Using robots in architecture has not to date been comprehensively researched; The Robotic Touch examines the theory and practice of robot-based building processes and the specific implications of using robots, within architectural design, looking to the future of this innovative and cutting-edge technology.
In particular, The Robotic Touch offers the first full analysis of the material and constructive aspects of robot-based building projects―and draws out the implications for architectural design on the growing use of robots. The volume is rounded out by six topical essays on broader aspects of the subject, along with technical data-sheets and a helpful glossary.
