The Other ‘F Word’ in Architectural Practice

Fabrication is no longer a term isolated to the technical innovators of the AEC industry – it is a ubiquitous component of academia and rapidly gaining traction in contemporary practice. As with normalizing of sustainable design and use of BIM, the bespoke is yet another expectation on contemporary practice, and file to factory is an inevitability. This session proposes where and how design practices acquire this knowledge base is neither standardized nor immediately accessible. Architecture and interior design have always been about the creative manipulation of data in fabricating the built environment. At this point in history, access to the design knowledge, technological acumen, and skilled services do not drive architectural innovation, they are necessities for professional survival. The classic model of “design, draft, and deploy” with a conventional construction palette is giving way to a seamless file to factory paradigm where creative mass customization is at a designer’s disposal. Drawing upon examples and voices from academia, practice, fabricators, construction and case studies, this session delves into the opportunities open to design practice as it increasingly adopts a file to factory paradigm. Hosted by the Retail and Entertainment Knowledge Community.