M3:29.11.2010/ Alvin Huang, Amanda Levete Architects
14:00 HIT E 51,
Alvin Huang, director of London based Amanda Levete Architects
Digital Craft: The Grey Area
A new territory has emerged from the act of realizing forms and spatial constructions that until recently have only existed on computer screens. The pairing of advanced digital design tools with a do-it-yourself attitude of experimentation facilitates the translation between virtual tectonics and the act of physical construction. This process leaves undeniable traces on the final artefact and is the essence of what can be defined as ‘digital craft’. Whereas the term craft has clear associations with the handmade arts, the fundamental nature of craft is embedded in the affinity between the artifact, the maker, and the act of making. The feedback loop of processes utilized and adopted for the application of digital fabrication extends the notion of craft beyond the hand and into the digital realm.
This talk will illustrate the processes involved in the design and execution of a series of projects of varying scales, each of which mediates the hi-fidelity inputs of digital mediums and the lo-fidelity outputs of physical construction.
Projects to be discussed include: Central Embassy (Bangkok, Thailand), Spencer Dock Bridge (Dublin, Ireland), Corian Super-surfaces (Milan, Italy), and [C]Space Pavilion (London, UK).