Robotics and digital fabrication redefine architectural craftsmanship
A new generation of architects, designers, and researchers is using robotics, computational design, and digital fabrication to expand craftsmanship rather than replace it. Projects like BIG's 'Ancient Future' at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 pair Bhutanese artisans with robotic milling to create timber components for Gelephu International Airport. Studio RAP's Ceramic House in Amsterdam features hundreds of unique 3D-printed ceramic elements. Michael Hansmeyer's Tor Alva in the Swiss Alps is the world's tallest 3D-printed concrete tower. Gramazio Kohler Research at ETH Zurich has developed robotic brick assembly and the DFAB House (2019). The New Raw in Rotterdam transforms discarded plastic into furniture via robotic 3D printing. These efforts demonstrate that digital tools enable ornament, material intelligence, and local expression, reconnecting architecture with craft.
Key facts
- BIG presented 'Ancient Future' at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, combining Bhutanese artisans with robotic milling.
- The project is a prototype for Gelephu International Airport, part of Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City masterplan.
- Studio RAP's Ceramic House in Amsterdam uses hundreds of unique 3D-printed ceramic elements.
- Michael Hansmeyer's Tor Alva in the Swiss Alps is the world's tallest 3D-printed concrete tower.
- Gramazio Kohler Research at ETH Zurich completed the DFAB House in 2019, combining robotic construction and 3D-printed formwork.
- The New Raw in Rotterdam uses robotic 3D printing to turn plastic waste into furniture and public infrastructure.
- Digital fabrication reduces the cost of ornament, making complex geometries economically viable.
- ICD/ITKE research at University of Stuttgart creates bio-inspired pavilions using robotic fabrication.
Entities
Artists
- Bjarke Ingels
- Giulia Frittoli
- Michael Hansmeyer
- Benjamin Dillenburger
- Panos Sakkas
- Foteini Setaki
- Gareth Neal
Institutions
- BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)
- Studio RAP
- ETH Zurich
- Gramazio Kohler Research
- The New Raw
- University of Stuttgart
- ICD (Institute for Computational Design)
- ITKE (Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design)
- designboom
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Bhutan
- Gelephu
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Rotterdam
- Swiss Alps
- Switzerland
- Zurich
- Stuttgart
- Germany
- Dubai
- United Arab Emirates
- Mulegns