The insertion of digital prototyping and fabrication in the design process: a new challenge for architecture learning

Author(s)

Regiane Trevisan Pupo

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo
• Defense date: 2009-01-29

Examining board members

Maria Gabriela Caffarena Celani; José Manuel Pinto Duarte; Regina Coeli Ruschel; Daniel de Carvalho Moreira; Jorge Vicente Lopes da Silva

• Advisor: Maria Gabriela Caffarena Celani

Abstract

During the past 10 years the new digital technologies and the post-industrial production have been incorporated to the design process, to the production of building parts, and to the construction of buildings. The present research analyzes the recent innovations in the area of technologies applied to architecture, aiming at its incorporation into the design process as well as in architectural education. It discusses the importance of the insertion of digital prototyping and fabrication in the architecture curriculum, in such a way that it promotes the integration between the design studio and the other subjects in the curriculum. The work began with a survey of recent theses and dissertations about technology applied to architecture. The survey showed that there is still a great difference between the works developed in Brazil and abroad. Next, some pedagogical experiments were developed at FEC, aiming at the introduction of digital prototyping and fabrication in the design process. A proposal of insertion of these new technologies in architecture courses was then developed. The results obtained in this research are expected to contribute to the insertion of these technologies in the architectural education in Brazil, hopefully leading to an evolution of brazilian architecture with the use of new post industrial production methods. (AU)