Digital Design Fabrication Group

Materializing Design

To materialize a design is to transform shape in CAD to sets of shapes as subdivided objects. These virtrual objects are shaped to accomodate material processing with a digitally controlled machine. Second the objects shape will accomodate physical assembly. The final artifact is an assembled collection of the subdivided shape. The goal is to produce design artifacts that match design goals in function and appearance.

Your House

yourHOUSE is a research and design project conducted by MIT's Design Lab that is breaking new ground as a pioneer in prefabricated home construction. With a thorough understanding of the past, an extensive utilization of new technologies of the present, and with an awareness of the possibility and growing need for low-cost and high-quality housing, yourHOUSE is set to change the future of home construction

A Physical Grammar

A novel evolutionary system used for the production of tiles and blocks is explored in this project. Here computer programs generates information for physical construction as architectural models of double-curved walls built from unique masonry units. We present a series of computer programs and physical models as examples of straight and curved walls generated from an evolutionary system built for design.

Reconstructing A Peruzzi Drawing

Baldassare Peruzzi (1481-1537) was an Italian architect and painter who worked in Rome during the 16c. Here a physical model was generated and prototyped from a drawing found in the office of Shepley Bulfinch. Some historians speculate the found drawing was intended for display for a theater set, some believe it to be it was a sketch for a carved wooden inlay. Our speculation here is that the drawings intent to be a proposal for a portico. Judge the drawings intent for yourself.

A Digitally Fabricated Plywood Cabin

Addressed in these studies are ways to materialize designs with plywood products. Methods consider ways to calculate, cut and join components. This process allows for the construct of houses and furniture. Research objectives are focused on an integrated approach to design and manufacturing of houses with computers.

Reconstructing Palladio's Villas

Reconstructing Palladio

This long term project is focused on reconstruction of Andrea Palladio's (1508-1580) villas as computer models and 3D prints. The work starts from a construction grammar generated from an analysis of Palladio's existing villas. The grammar is used to design new villas or to reconstruct villas from Palladio's floor plan drawings.