Graduation projects

Research center for digital fabrication

Principal author

Cristina Costea Alexandra

Collaborators (team members)

coordonator arhitectural prof. Ionut Anton

External collaborators

Coordonator structural ing. Madalin Coman

Project year

2017-2018

Location

Bucuresti, B-dul Basarabiei 169-171

Learning institution

UAUIM, Universitatea de Arhitectura si Urbanism ,,Ion Mincu"

Project description

The research center in digital fabrication has the main focus of integrating digital techonologies in the field of architecture and the process of construction through non-standard architecture. My proposal is located in the outskirts of Bucharest, in Pantelimon neighbourhood,on the site of an old glass factory and nearby a historic industrial complex, Malaxa. In the 1900, this neighbourhood functioned as a huge infrastructure for industry but today only few buildings are left in place. Still, this large carpets on industry are able to create barriers between them and the urban tissue that tries to make place. My study site is not only part of the industrial landscape but also part of the emergent natural landscape. Having a sandy terrain in the back of the glass factory, the workers stared excavating the ground for the production of glass. Soon, the sand pit became a lake and afterwards a park. Having in mind this two types of environment that my study site is enclosed by, i tried to integrate in the morphological studies few aspects. The envelope of industrial building is one of them, having quite a specific typology due to it's requirements. In order to improve it and integrate it to both parts of environment i created a new landscape inspired by the folded industrial roof and the topography lines of my study site. This new envelope aims to be more appropriated to the park and public and it connects with all the entities present on site but with the program as well. The morphology is given by non standard and playful slopes that make space for the program through large openings and creates a new one, a new program on top. The program aims to rethink the production of prefabricated construction elements by implementing industrial robots and numerically controlled machines into the design and production phase. Not only that it deals with experiments and prototypes but the most important part, it offers consultancy for the local industrial partners in order to improve the production lines for each branch. The research center of digital fabrication aims to be a platform for communication between architects and production companies in order to raise the sights of innovative architecture through non standard architecture. The program has the intention of achieving a different point of view than the standard production space: the assemblage line of standardized products is no longer necessary as the infrastructure for customized elements is defined by the versatile usage of the same machine into different processes.

Text description of the author

The interest in digital manufacturing has evolved over the years of college, along with the development of parametric design abilities at international workshops. The innovation in architecture and the integration of contemporary technologies is a major point of interest in my searches, that added value of architecture.

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