Other · 2026
Co-Authoring Timber
Humans, algorithms and robots: a CAADRIA 2026 timber fabrication workshop.
A three-day CAADRIA 2026 technical workshop (B01) run by Gramazio Kohler Research: an end-to-end pipeline where computational design directly drives robotic timber fabrication. Using COMPAS Timber in Rhino and Grasshopper, geometry, joinery and assembly logic are embedded from the start, then carried through robotic path planning and production sequencing to physical assembly with an ABB robot, ending in a fabricated timber prototype.
The premise is in the title: timber co-authored by humans, algorithms and robots. Over three days at CAADRIA 2026 in Hsinchu, our group modelled a notched timber structure in Rhino and Grasshopper with COMPAS Timber, where geometry, joinery and assembly logic all live in one semantic model. The same model carried straight through to robotic path planning and production sequencing, and an ABB robot placed and fixed each member in turn.
For me this is the empower-the-craftsman question made physical: the point where design intent, the algorithm and the machine meet on the same piece of wood. It sits next to my Humanoid & Craft work on robotic fabrication and the Euston SecondSelf thesis.
Tutor: Chen Kasirer, Gramazio Kohler Research (ETH Zurich), with the open-source COMPAS Timber pipeline. Teammates: Yin Zhang and Ka Hong Lam.
