Join us for deep conversation focused on the issues raised by the exhibition, How to Build a House: Architectural Research in the Digital Age, which focuses on the DFAB House and the work of Gramazio Kohler Research with Digital Building Technologies at Swiss university ETH Zurich.
The exhibition examines the digital transformation of architecture and construction. It reveals the conception and making of the DFAB HOUSE: A three-story experimental building demonstrating pioneering research in computational design and digital fabrication conducted by architects in collaboration with leading experts in fields ranging from robotics to material science.
Through the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research Digital Fabrication (NCCR-DFAB), they jointly created the first fully inhabitable building constructed by robots from the labs of ETH Zurich; a building that moves the boundaries of what robotics and 3D printing in architecture can do today. The exhibit is an entry point into understanding the digital as a novel domain for architects to draw from at each step of the design, fabrication, and assembly of a building.
The exhibition, curated by Hannes Mayer and Sarah Schneider, presents a comprehensive insight into the architectural research of the DFAB HOUSE through prototypes, photography, videos, and a VR installation. Come and explore. Matthias Kohler, Benjamin Dillenburger will discuss topics relevant to their practice.
Program
9:30am — doors open
10am — lectures by Benjamin Dillenburger & Matthias Kohler
11am — q&a
11:30am — networking
12pm — doors close
DFAB HOUSE
DFAB HOUSE is a collaborative demonstrator of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication on the NEST building of Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf, Switzerland. As part of the full-featured building project, researchers from eight chairs at ETH Zurich professorships have come together with industry experts and planning professionals in a unique way to explore and test how digital fabrication can change the way we design and build. DFAB HOUSE is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation in collaboration with the funding partners at EMPA.
Bios
Matthias Kohler
Matthias Kohler is an architect with interests ranging from computational design and robotic fabrication to material innovation. He founded the award winning architecture practice Gramazio Kohler Architects together with his partner Fabio Gramazio. Both partners are full professors at ETH Zurich, where they jointly lead Gramazio Kohler Research. Matthias Kohler has been the founding director of the NCCR Digital Fabrication, the first National Centre of Competence in Research in the field of architecture funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, and in this position initiated and headed the DFAB HOUSE project.
Benjamin Dillenburger
Benjamin Dillenburger is an architect who explores computational design methods and digital fabrication to broaden the design freedom for architecture and to develop performative building solutions. Recent works include the design of two full-scale 3D printed rooms for the FRAC Centre, Orleans and the permanent collection of Centre Pompidou, Paris. Benjamin Dillenburger holds a PhD degree from the ETH Zurich, and is Assistant Professor for Digital Building Technologies (DBT) at the Institute of Technology in Architecture at ETH Zurich after having taught as Assistant Professor at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto He is Principal Investigator of the Swiss National Competence Centre of Research in Digital Fabrication (NCCR DFAB)
Gramazio Kohler Research
Since its inception in 2005 the research group led by Matthias Kohler and Fabio Gramazio at ETH Zurich has been at the forefront of robotics and digital fabrication in architecture. With their robotic laboratories and work that ranges from prototypes to buildings they have inspired architects and researchers alike to explore the capacities of industrial robots as universal tools of the digital age. Projects such as Structural Oscillations for the Architecture Biennale in Venice, Flight Assembled Architecture at the FRAC Centre Orléans, Rock Print for the Chicago Biennale and the Sequential Roof for the Arch_Tec_Lab at ETH Zürich have contributed to the group’s recognition as global leaders in in the field of digital and robotic fabrication in architecture.
Digital Building Technologies
The chair for Digital Building Technologies at ETH Zürich researches in new building technologies based on the seamless integration of computational design methods, digital fabrication and new materials. At the forefront of 3D printing technologies, DBT investigates additive manufacturing strategies in architecture, which have the potential to challenge traditional paradigms of construction and open up radically new design-solutions. The work of Digital Building Technologies has been presented at the Venice Architecture Biennale and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Digital Grotesque at the Centre Pompidou, Paris and the Smart Slab at the DFAB HOUSE highlight the groups pioneering research in digital fabrication.
#SwissTouch
Swiss Touch is an event series and social media campaign pushing Swiss innovation and creative ideas forward through the participation of prominent Swiss and American stakeholders, a selection of compelling topics, and unusual locations.
Photo by Roman Kelller, courtesy of ETH Zurich.
Join us for deep conversation focused on the issues raised by the exhibition, How to Build a House: Architectural Research in the Digital Age, which focuses on the DFAB House and the work of Gramazio Kohler Research with Digital Building Technologies at Swiss university ETH Zurich.
The exhibition examines the digital transformation of architecture and construction. It reveals the conception and making of the DFAB HOUSE: A three-story experimental building demonstrating pioneering research in computational design and digital fabrication conducted by architects in collaboration with leading experts in fields ranging from robotics to material science.
Through the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research Digital Fabrication (NCCR-DFAB), they jointly created the first fully inhabitable building constructed by robots from the labs of ETH Zurich; a building that moves the boundaries of what robotics and 3D printing in architecture can do today. The exhibit is an entry point into understanding the digital as a novel domain for architects to draw from at each step of the design, fabrication, and assembly of a building.
The exhibition, curated by Hannes Mayer and Sarah Schneider, presents a comprehensive insight into the architectural research of the DFAB HOUSE through prototypes, photography, videos, and a VR installation. Come and explore. Matthias Kohler, Benjamin Dillenburger will discuss topics relevant to their practice.
Program
9:30am — doors open
10am — lectures by Benjamin Dillenburger & Matthias Kohler
11am — q&a
11:30am — networking
12pm — doors close
DFAB HOUSE
DFAB HOUSE is a collaborative demonstrator of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication on the NEST building of Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf, Switzerland. As part of the full-featured building project, researchers from eight chairs at ETH Zurich professorships have come together with industry experts and planning professionals in a unique way to explore and test how digital fabrication can change the way we design and build. DFAB HOUSE is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation in collaboration with the funding partners at EMPA.
Bios
Matthias Kohler
Matthias Kohler is an architect with interests ranging from computational design and robotic fabrication to material innovation. He founded the award winning architecture practice Gramazio Kohler Architects together with his partner Fabio Gramazio. Both partners are full professors at ETH Zurich, where they jointly lead Gramazio Kohler Research. Matthias Kohler has been the founding director of the NCCR Digital Fabrication, the first National Centre of Competence in Research in the field of architecture funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, and in this position initiated and headed the DFAB HOUSE project.
Benjamin Dillenburger
Benjamin Dillenburger is an architect who explores computational design methods and digital fabrication to broaden the design freedom for architecture and to develop performative building solutions. Recent works include the design of two full-scale 3D printed rooms for the FRAC Centre, Orleans and the permanent collection of Centre Pompidou, Paris. Benjamin Dillenburger holds a PhD degree from the ETH Zurich, and is Assistant Professor for Digital Building Technologies (DBT) at the Institute of Technology in Architecture at ETH Zurich after having taught as Assistant Professor at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto He is Principal Investigator of the Swiss National Competence Centre of Research in Digital Fabrication (NCCR DFAB)
Gramazio Kohler Research
Since its inception in 2005 the research group led by Matthias Kohler and Fabio Gramazio at ETH Zurich has been at the forefront of robotics and digital fabrication in architecture. With their robotic laboratories and work that ranges from prototypes to buildings they have inspired architects and researchers alike to explore the capacities of industrial robots as universal tools of the digital age. Projects such as Structural Oscillations for the Architecture Biennale in Venice, Flight Assembled Architecture at the FRAC Centre Orléans, Rock Print for the Chicago Biennale and the Sequential Roof for the Arch_Tec_Lab at ETH Zürich have contributed to the group’s recognition as global leaders in in the field of digital and robotic fabrication in architecture.
Digital Building Technologies
The chair for Digital Building Technologies at ETH Zürich researches in new building technologies based on the seamless integration of computational design methods, digital fabrication and new materials. At the forefront of 3D printing technologies, DBT investigates additive manufacturing strategies in architecture, which have the potential to challenge traditional paradigms of construction and open up radically new design-solutions. The work of Digital Building Technologies has been presented at the Venice Architecture Biennale and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Digital Grotesque at the Centre Pompidou, Paris and the Smart Slab at the DFAB HOUSE highlight the groups pioneering research in digital fabrication.
#SwissTouch
Swiss Touch is an event series and social media campaign pushing Swiss innovation and creative ideas forward through the participation of prominent Swiss and American stakeholders, a selection of compelling topics, and unusual locations.
Photo by Roman Kelller, courtesy of ETH Zurich.
show less
Date/Times:
Pier 17, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94111
The Best Events
Every Week in Your Inbox
From Our Sponsors
UPCOMING EVENTS
Great suggestion! We'll be in touch.
Event reviewed successfully.