Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DfMA) for Architects with Industrial Robots

Robotics will transform the construction industry in the next decade, yet Canada is lagging in producing the highly qualified professionals needed to support that transformation. With a high percentage of the construction workforce retiring in the next five years, Canada must find ways to integrate robotics into the processes of design and fabrication of our built environment. This transformation cannot simply happen on the construction site, it must be integrated into how buildings are designed to take advantage of the opportunities that robotically assisted construction has to offer. This research project proposes that robotics has a vital role to play in the early design phases within the office of the architect, where knowledge of new construction processes will be integrated into the design of buildings. Moving beyond the design of form to include the design of processes, this research will investigate proto-processes using digital software, computer code and physical models to test processes at small scale, concepts which could easily be integrated into most architectural design offices to assist in transforming how we conceive of the process of building and design.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sheryl Boyle

Student:

Partner:

ABB Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Carleton University

Program: