The future is coming and it will be built by robots

The first humans to build a dwelling had only their hands and a few rudimentary tools made from sharpened rocks.  But during the last few thousand years our tools have evolved considerably.  In the last hundred years the pace of technological innovation has mechanized our tools.  And so the hammer becomes the air-powered nail gun and the screwdriver turns into a cordless drill.Drafting by hand has all but disappeared, replaced by CAD systems and photo-realistic rendering apps.   So what will the future bring?  What will be the construction tools of the future?  Robots.

Digital software allows designers to create impossibly complex 3d forms and spaces that are exceedingly difficult and expensive to construct using normal tools.  The translation from digital forms into physical forms is the focus of  Swiss architects Gramazio & Kohler.  To accomplish this task, they use robots.  Industrial robots can construct automobiles with great precision.  So why not buildings?  This is the question that Gramazio & Kohler answer in their latest project, Pike Loop, which will use a robot to build an intricate wall out of bricks.   But this is no ordinary wall.  This wall tilts and buckles expanding and contracting like a chain.

If you happen to be in New York between October 5th-27th, then you can watch Gramazio & Kohler’s robot build their amazing wall on the central mall on Pike Street between Division Street and East Broadway.   Sponsored by the NYC Transportation Urban Art Program, whose very existence should be applauded, the installation will be accompanied by an exhibition of the architects work at the Storefront for Art and Architecture.