Robotic Exhalation
[2023] funded via the U-M Architecture Student Research Grant and the ArtsEngine AiiR Grant
Work completed in collaboration with Elliot Smithberger
The Architecture Student Research Grant (ASRG) is funded through the Architecture Program Chair’s office and through the generous gift of alumni Adam Smith and Lisa Sauve of Synecdoche, Ann Arbor, and Robert Yuen of Monograph, San Francisco. The grant aims to provide a unique opportunity for student research projects that push the boundaries and possibilities of the discipline of architecture.
The work culminated in “Built to Scale,” an exhibit that opened on Friday, February 17, at the Liberty Research Annex.
Body of Work
Robotic Exhalation explores the materiality of concrete, leveraging compressed air’s innate physical properties and widespread utility as a platform + methodology for patterning, forming, and surfacing material.
This work specifically investigates the consequences of directing one finitely controllable medium (air) into another (cementitious slurry). This simple equation generated a number of complex problems, leading to the team designing and fabricating a computer numeric controlled machine, developing a digital plugin for generative toolpathing, and exhaustively cataloging material properties.
The output of this process embodies a seemingly contradictory hybrid of computer-generated toolpaths and material imperfection. While this work has largely been centered on process development and aesthetic explorations, the team intends to push this research forward with low-carbon mix alternatives and rigorous thermal + hygroscopic panel testing in an effort to produce a quantitative body of work that complements and interrogates the research completed thus far.