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Brandon Clifford. Zayas-San Miguel, Luisel Emmanuel Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture 2016-07-01T18:44:50Z 2016-07-01T18:44:50Z 2016 2016 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/103488 952415926 Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2016. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 119-122). Curvature has always been present in architecture though largely explored for structural purposes. It can be found in Roman arches and domes, in the catenary vaults of Antoni Gaudí, and in the hyper paraboloid shells of Félix Candela, as the result of form-finding techniques. Questions of materiality arose parallel to the development of these techniques, enabling the common use of concrete. Concrete allowed for the production of custom stones and replaced traditional hand-carving methods of making. Concrete is one of the most ubiquitous materials in the built environment, yet it is often cast in orthogonal repeating parts. Why is such a supple and liquid material, capable of any form, limited to the conceptions of the industrial era? The building industry commonly assumes that formwork must be repeatable, yet the prevailing goal of the digital era is serial variability. Therefore, a gap exists between the goals of the computational revolution and the standards of material production. This research states that it is possible to reconsider the role of concrete in the digital era via the aid of robotic fabrication. If formwork is commonly informed by the goal of efficiency and economics, this research asks what emerges when it is informed by environmental, structural, or formal concerns. This thesis proposes a specific way of making that emerges from a computational understanding of spline geometries. The process allows the designer to materialize data into a complex geometry that has been programmed to perform one or more architectural parameters. Fabrication methodologies today are leading architects to reclaim the role of the masterbuilder. This thesis argues that designing and making are part of a single process. Architects should not design materially uninformed architectural spaces; rather, they should design through the making process while integrating geometrical and material concerns. Therefore, what kind of architecture emerges when the spline is foregrounded in a process of concrete construction? by Luisel Emmanuel Zayas-San Miguel. M.Arch. 123 pages eng Massachusetts Institute of Technology M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 Architecture. Spline : rethinking concrete in the digital era Rethinking concrete in the digital era Thesis application/pdf false Publication unknown unknown <Publication xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/1.1/" id="e501ce9d-7f1e-44e9-9fa4-0a0ff2113a04"> <Type xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/vocab/COAR_Publication_Types">http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_1843</Type> <Language>eng</Language> <Title>Spline : rethinking concrete in the digital era</Title> <Subtitle>Rethinking concrete in the digital era</Subtitle> <PublishedIn> <Publication> </Publication> </PublishedIn> <PublicationDate>2016</PublicationDate> <Authors> <Author> <DisplayName>Zayas-San Miguel, Luisel Emmanuel</DisplayName> <Affiliation> <OrgUnit> </OrgUnit> </Affiliation> </Author> </Authors> <Editors> </Editors> <Publishers> <Publisher> <DisplayName>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</DisplayName> <OrgUnit /> </Publisher> </Publishers> <License>http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582</License> <Keyword>Architecture.</Keyword> <Abstract>Curvature has always been present in architecture though largely explored for structural purposes. 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This research states that it is possible to reconsider the role of concrete in the digital era via the aid of robotic fabrication. If formwork is commonly informed by the goal of efficiency and economics, this research asks what emerges when it is informed by environmental, structural, or formal concerns. This thesis proposes a specific way of making that emerges from a computational understanding of spline geometries. The process allows the designer to materialize data into a complex geometry that has been programmed to perform one or more architectural parameters. Fabrication methodologies today are leading architects to reclaim the role of the masterbuilder. This thesis argues that designing and making are part of a single process. Architects should not design materially uninformed architectural spaces; rather, they should design through the making process while integrating geometrical and material concerns. 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