Robotic EarthCrafts II

Robotic EarthCrafts II occurred in the summer of 2024 at Istanbul Bilgi University, seven years after the first. Together with Fulya Özsel Akipek, Nilüfer Kozikoglu, Abdullah Mallah, and Halit Mallah, we experimented with the robotic fabrication of molds for rammed-earth structures. The focus shifted toward a human scale based on the experience gained from Robotic EarthCrafts I. At the workshop’s core were spatial systems resembling muqarnas, which incorporated non-planar geometric transitions.

Unlike the first workshop, we utilized a parametric model to design and generate robot code. Thus, it allowed full control over the design and fabrication process. The material composition remained alkali-based, including clay soil, gypsum, lime, water, and perlite. To ensure the precision required by the geometric complexity of the blocks, participants in Robotic EarthCrafts II used a robotic arm to cut foam blocks into mold pieces. Muqarnas is significant in architectural design history and is frequently highlighted as a research subject. The parametric model used in the workshop could generate muqarnas-like structures with a desired number of indentations. It could also draw their two-dimensional projection graphs. Additionally, this parametric model could model muqarnas blocks that could adapt to any curve. This included concave and convex arcs. You can check the Grasshopper model here.

We organized the workshop together with Fulya Akipek and Nilüfer Kozikoğlu. We want to thank the students and assistants who attended the workshop: Robotic EarthCrafts II: Berivan Güzel, Eman Ahmed, Furkan Çetinel, Gülçin Özen, Hammam Alhwid, Juna Alturck, Meryem Yılmaz, Pınar Kahya, Rand Damlakhi, Rayan Ebrahim, Seda Zafer Küçük, Sema Bartan, Sevde Boztepe Dinçer, Şevval Kara, Zeynep Acar, Zeynep Gökkaya, Abdullah Mallah, and Halit Mallah.