Session 3D: Automating Urban Functions

29 October 2019
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

The intensity of the digital and technological interface in the building design process has increased significantly over the past half-century, with the incorporation of CAD, parametric design, BIM and virtual reality into design routines. The barrier between the digital and the physical is further dissolved by integrating voice commands and responsive lighting systems into buildings, but this has had the unintended consequence of ramping up demand for electricity. Buildings of the future must become producers of power instead of consumers, and their thoughtful design must entail planned disassembly—with provisions for component reuse—instead of planned obsolescence. This session also closely examines the construction sector, which is evolving in tandem with the design process, and offers predictions for the future of incorporating robotics into construction sites, operationally and qualitatively.