Reliving I

Location: Barcelona - Spain
Year: 2023
Type of Collaboration: Design, Computational Design, Robotic Fabrication, Diagrams
Type of Project: Facade, Design For Manufacture, Robotic Pick and Place and Nailing

The aim of this exercise is to design a robotic manufacturing system using wood offcuts for prefabricated and customized self shading facades. In the realm of mass timber production, a staggering 40% of a wooden log goes to waste, with an additional 25% arising from trimming and edging processes. Despite this substantial waste, innovative approaches have emerged to extract value from these byproducts. Wood waste is repurposed through chipping for applications such as biofuel and gardening, offering an environmentally friendly alternative. However, it is essential to consider the environmental impact of burning wood, which results in carbon emissions 2.5 times higher than natural gas and 30% higher than coal. At the same time, contemporary wood facades often rely on mass standardized pieces, missing an opportunity to utilize the discarded wood. To address this, incorporating robotic procedures in the creation of mass-customized facades using wood offcuts can revolutionize architectural practices, maximizing the value of this abundant but underutilized resource. This manufacturing process not only minimizes waste but also aligns with sustainable design principles, fostering a more responsible and environmentally conscious architecture. For this exercise a part of the facade was fabricated in half scale to understand the processes of pick’n’place and nailing.