Can digital design and robot technology be integrated with an ecological design approach? The robotic earthcrafts workshop at Istanbul Bilgi University attempts to relate to biological parameters and digital design and fabrication processes. Thus, the summer school will include seminars and practices on computational design, robotic fabrication, rammed-earth construction techniques, and permaculture design principles to discuss and experience the relationships between technology and ecology. So, the results will be the proposals for micro-permaculture systems, constructed from rammed-earth blocks, with plantings.

Robotic EarthCrafts Workshop Phase 1 (July 9-16, 2018) ARCH 561 / ARCH 477 (Synonym) Design Studies

The first phase of the Robotic EarthCrafts summer school will include seminars and practices on mathematical surfaces, robot technology, and rammed-earth construction techniques. Then, at the end of the first phase, the participating groups will design their block systems and fabricate their molds with the help of the Kuka robot. After that, they produced several rammed-earth blocks using these molds.

Robotic EarthCrafts Workshop Phase 2 (July 17-24, 2018) ARCH 562 / ARCH 478 (Synonym) Design Practices

The second phase of the Robotic EarthCrafts summer school will begin with seminars on permaculture design principles. The students will revise systems that were successful in the first by integrating these principles. The relationships between geometric forms, solar paths, irrigation, plants, and the human body will be experienced during the design development process. Thus, groups of participants will revise and re-produce the structural systems. Therefore, we can consider the outcomes of this process as micro-permaculture systems. However, they include plant reservoirs as urban furniture, elements for spatial arrangements, landscape design elements, or sketches of urban gardens. Therefore, they will be the prototypes of the integration between digital fabrication and using local and natural materials and techniques.

The Team

Tutors

Tuğrul Yazar and Fulya Özsel Akipek (POTplus design research group)

Assistants

Hülya Oral (researcher)

Rahman Çelebi (production specialist)

Consultants

Özgül Öztürk (rammed-earth construction technique)

Dilek Yürük (permaculture design specialist)

Visual Communication

hop (graphic design)

Sinem Serap Duran (video artist)