DARLab

The DARLab Director

Associate Professor Federico Rossi

The DARLab Team

Associate Member : Associate Professor Finian McCann Associate Member : Senior Lecturer Luis Santos Associate Member : Senior Lecturer Onur Ozkaya Member: PhD Student Shahzada Sultan

Industry Partners

SCMGroup, Mitsubishi Chemicals, nlayers3D, Hiteco, ESA Automation

The Digital Architectural and Robotics Lab (DARLAB) is an established research group founded and directed by Associate Professor Federico Rossi part of the School of Built Environment and Architecture.

DARLAB uses industrial grade robotic setup to develop advanced manufacturing solutions for research and academic purposes. The DARLAB is equipped with a multifunctional robotic platform for advanced manufacturing architectural applications; a robotic platform able to process different materials with custom equipment and tools. A combination with quick-change plates is allowing the robot to achieve different configuration accordingly with the task to be performed.

Applied research to examine the changes in the requirements for architectural production that result from the introduction of digital manufacturing techniques. Research interest lies in combining data and material, and the resulting implications this has on architectural design. The possibility of directly fabricating building components designed on a computer expands not only the range of possibilities for construction, but, by the direct implementation of material and production logic into the design process, it creates a unique form of architectural expression and a new aesthetic. The objective is to develop integration between new materials, and new tools to develop innovative construction fabrication processes.

Robotic manufacturing has changed the architectural profession significantly in recent years and architects, engineers and artists all stand to benefit from industrial robots, like DARLAB, that can be turned into innovative manufacturing tool. In the construction industry, DARLAB breaks typical constraints and solves common problems, for instance by implementing digital workflow in manufacturing embedded with the design process itself.