The Humanistic Basis of Digital Self-productions in Every-Day Architecture Practice

The intersection of robotics and architecture supports the search for new spatial, structural and construction models useful to support the innovation in conception and making of spaces towards a more sustainable production, and to refine the “Industry 4.0” paradigm from a humanistic perspective to meet the needs of the socio-ecological transition. One of the major emerging challenges of technological innovation, in fact, is to accelerate the realization of a high quality architecture that is responsive and sensitive toward the environmental and social context within which is designed and implemented. This requires a holistic and transdisciplinary approach during the whole process, from conception to construction. In this regard, the self-production in every-day architecture practice (starting from small scale projects) represents an important field for theoretical and empirical investigations that calls for a smarter use of traditional and non-traditional building materials, and innovative computational ways of dealing with craftsmanship for more sustainable manufacturing methods along the whole factory life-cycle, suggesting a greater insight into the humanistic basis of architecture. This chapter will frame the design-research in contemporary strategies and processes for architecture undertaken at ALO, architecture and design studio based in the south Sardinia (Italy), and will showcase some of the computational design and robotic fabrication research carried out within the daily practice.