APPLIED: Research Through Fabrication TEX-FAB*DFA Competition

Within the field of architecture, exploration involving parametric modeling and digital fabrication – what we will call computational fabrication – is both wide and varied. There is no standard of how the technology is developed or no singular focus on how it will impact the design process or the construction of buildings. And yet there is growing evidence the application is quickly evolving in a variety of unique directions. From novel geometries and innovative structures to improved material and environmental performance it is clear there is a focused agenda towards a more rigorous implementation of the digital toolset.

The impetus for this development is coming simultaneously from three positions that collectively provide a critical nexus in the field of computational fabrication: First, the professional demands for buildings to have greater performance capacity, stylistic coherence, and economic efficiency; second the academic realm where experimentation, research, and theory, continue to push technological exploration forward; and third, industry where innovative development is both an economic imperative and a generative vehicle for technical application and testing. From each of these positions, applied research is gaining traction as a critical and vital part of connecting the design process into a deeper knowledge base of information that is raising the intelligence and thus efficacy of architectural design. Whether following traditional models of research or pioneering new forms of hybridized working models between these three categories, those working within this field are now able to activate a broader and more fully coordinated spectrum of information about the design decision making process.

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COMPETITION REGULATIONS

First Round Jury