Emerging Objects / Muddy Robots
At an estimated <20% of the cost of constructing typical prefabricated buildings (Erith, 2021g), it is proposed the revolution of mass-customisable 3D-printed earthen structures compels the development of a novel architectural language. Across the world, First Nations knowledges are being translated and applied to a myriad of social and environmental design challenges.
Consider a project imbued with, and iterated through North American First Nations’ design pottery traditions: ‘Mud Frontiers’ projects by Emerging Objects–Co-founded by Ronald Rael (UC, Berkeley) and Virginia San Fratello (San José State University)– utilised a simple robot to 3D-print four clay structural concepts from local earth and clay in the San Luis Valley, Colorado; ‘Hearth’, ‘Beacon’, ‘Lookout' and ‘Kiln’ (Ronald Rael, 2021).
“In Aboriginal cultures, creative power is located deep within the land and not, as with many religions, within the heavens”
Matthew Colloff, 2020
@rrael | August, 2023 | Muddy Robots’ Nubian Vault,realised in partnership with Twente Additive Manufacturing Visual by @Jarret Gross
@rrael | Feb, 2022 | Envisioning a new type of #3dprinted#adobe house through our collaboration with @3dpotter that utilizes a lightweight and portable scara robot to create a #dogtrot earthen residence. Visual by @VasudhaMaiya #emergingobjects#3dprinting#3dprintedarchitecture#digitalart#eartharchitecture
Projects
Residential Food–Waste–Energy System
Exhibition
+ Generative AI [ Midjourney ]
Earthen AM – architectural scale R&D
Barcelona, Spain, IAAC + Valldaura Labs
Massa Lombarda RA, Italy, WASP
San Luis Valley, CO, USA, Emerging Objects