Forcing Tectonics

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BACKGROUND Within contemporary architectural research, tectonics have evolved from material expression towards digitally driven, performance-based systems. Advances in computational design and robotic fabrication, particularly robotic fibre weaving and additive manufacturing—have enabled new relationships between geometry, force, and material. While prior research has explored structural form-finding and robotic fabrication, a critical gap remains in integrating force-driven design with hybrid fabrication workflows for scalable architectural applications. This project addresses this gap by investigating how structural performance, material systems, and fabrication logic can be co-developed through computational and robotic processes, establishing a performance-driven tectonic framework for non-standard components.

CONTRIBUTION Forcing Tectonics is a design-led research project and exhibition presented at Melbourne Design Week 2023. The project develops an integrated computational and fabrication framework that combines performance-based generative design with robotic fibre weaving and additive manufacturing to produce circular shell plate systems. As project lead, Dr Nic Bao conceived and directed the research, establishing the conceptual framework, computational workflow, and fabrication strategy. Structural performance-based algorithms are used to generate geometries informed by force distribution, enabling the co-evolution of form, structure, and material organisation. These geometries are realised through a hybrid fabrication pipeline integrating robotic weaving and 3D printing, producing customised fibre composite components with high structural efficiency and reduced material waste. The project demonstrates a novel tectonic paradigm in which form, force, and fabrication are intrinsically linked through computational and robotic processes.

SIGNIFICANCE The project was exhibited at Perspectives, Melbourne Design Week 2023 at Testing Grounds Emporium, comprising a 1.5m × 1.5m × 0.5m prototype installation and a 4-minute film, demonstrating the translation of computational design and robotic fabrication into material and spatial outcomes. The work was selected by a high-profile curatorial team, including Sandra Githinji and Kholisile Dhliwayo, as a key installation in the Perspectives exhibition curated by Dr Timothy Moore (Creative Director of Melbourne Design Week), evidencing strong peer recognition within a competitive national platform. Forcing Tectonics advances research in digital tectonics by integrating performance-driven design, fibre composite systems, and hybrid robotic fabrication. It demonstrates scalable, low-waste approaches for producing customised architectural components, contributing to emerging research in intelligent construction, automated fabrication, and next-generation sustainable building systems.