Explore. Test. Scale. How a robotic arm expands architecture possibilities

At least that was my experience upon entering our Los Angeles office and the Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign earlier this year. Just steps off the elevator, I turned to my right to see the robotic arm (affectionately named Gert) punching calculated holes in precisely the right spots for something the studio was creating. It worked in stealth, programmed with a task it needed to complete. 

Later in my visit, Ben Juckes, an architect and design leader in the Yazdani Studio who has worked on signature projects like the California Institute of Technology’s Resnick Sustainability Center and University of Utah’s Lassonde Studios, to name just a few, spent a bit more time showcasing the different ways the robotic arm could be used today, and what it makes possible for architecture projects moving forward. 

“Can this help our teams deliver bolder architecture solutions?” I asked Ben during the conversation. He nodded with enthusiasm. “There’s a lot of potential with tools like these,” he confirmed. I wanted to learn more, and here is a summary of the conversation that followed: 

Why invest in a robotic arm? What was the thinking that originally drove the decision? 
One of the main reasons we added a robotic arm was so that we could have an even better vantage point on where the architecture and design industries are headed. If automation and advanced digital fabrication are going to be seamlessly integrated into design processes, we want to get ahead of that curve. The robot lets us start speaking the 'language' of future fabrication now.

So, does the robotic arm create more efficiency or innovation in the design process? 
Both, but let's look at innovation first. Think about most digital fabrication tools we use today, like laser cutters, 3D printers or even a CNC machine. They all operate in 2D layers. 

The robotic arm, however, has six axes to explore the full range of 3D space. Add in the ability to customize the tool's end effector (the device attached at the end of the robotic arm that allows it to interact with objects and its environment), and the diversity of mediums and materials it can work with makes it incredibly versatile. It’s like moving from playing checkers on a flat board to playing chess in three dimensions. Suddenly, the design opportunities open way up.

One of the first things we tested the robotic arm on was a woven ceiling installation. In that instance, we didn’t just have to design the pattern, we had to solve problems like how to store, dispense and tension the string, which pushed us into product design territory. Then, during testing, we discovered that when we wove flat grids of string on top of each other and then released them, they transformed into 3D volumes. 

That discovery led to a whole new workflow: designing 3D shapes, collapsing them into 2D, weaving them flat, and then inflating them back into 3D to create the intended form.

So, our team already has a good understanding of the best moments to rely on the robotic arm? 
We have a sense of good parameters and use cases, but when it comes to the innovation possibilities, we’re really just scratching the surface. We can see the potential, and every day we’re learning new ways to unleash it.

So, you said the arm also creates opportunities for efficiency in the design process. Can you elaborate.
Efficiency is a loaded word with the robotic arm. It can go either way depending on your desired outcome. If the goal is exploration and testing current ideas, then like any creative process, efficiency isn’t the driver. But, once the idea is developed, like computational design workflows, we can create the systems that lead to efficiency.

If I go back to the woven ceiling example, once we figured out how to robotically weave a single module, it suddenly became possible to scale that up to an entire ceiling with far more speed and precision than if we’d done it by hand. 

Efficiency is part of the goal, but I don’t think it will be a plug-and-play outcome. There will be a lot of testing and iteration before we hit the sweet spot. But once we do, the robot can be both incredibly efficient and a tool for unlocking creative possibilities we couldn’t reach otherwise.

The Yazdani Studio works on complex architecture projects. Can a tool like the robotic arm be especially important for these types of projects? 
Absolutely. This really helps us connect design more directly to fabrication, even down to the contractor level, and produce smarter, more integrated solutions that are unique to each project. And, while yes, our projects are complex, we tend to think of them more as intelligent and responsive. 

Our team typically embeds analysis such as solar radiation, daylight, shading and view optimization into our design process from the earliest massing studies. The robot is the next step in that evolution. It allows us to carry the same intelligence all the way through to fabrication, so our buildings are not only intentional in concept but also built in ways that reflect that thoughtfulness.

Why should clients we work with be excited about the robotic arm?
I think it’s twofold. All these things I’ve talked about from innovation to efficiency, the robotic arm is going to help us design and build in excitingly novel ways moving forward. I also think it’s exciting for them in what it represents about working with us. The robotic arm represents our curiosity, our desire to push boundaries and that we are comfortable questioning preconceived notions in our field. That mindset has always been central to how we work, and the robotic arm is really an extension of that. 

Each time we start a new project, we seek out what will make it unique. We combine the full breadth of 21st-century design knowledge with a willingness to rethink how things can be done to discover what a project wants to be. The robot is another exciting tool in the toolkit to making that happen.

So, where do you go next with the robotic arm? 
The honest answer is, we don’t know yet. But that’s exciting. Since we have had the robotic arm, we’ve gone from using it in 2D, such as drawing, painting with light and simulating the sun to true 3D fabrication. Each step levels us up as we find tune tolerances, establish workflows and expand our understanding of what we can do. 

I do think it’s going to help us really evolve how we think about automation, not by replacing us, but by freeing up more time to design what matters the most. Our computational workflows already allow us to design for longer, letting us keep refining ideas deeper into the documentation process. The robotic arm takes that even further. The intent is not only to connect design through to construction more seamlessly, but also to discover new ways we can continue to make an impact.

So, in three years, the robot is......fill in the blank.
…less a machine in the corner and more a studio collaborator, part sculptor, part engineer, part improviser. It’s helping us close the gap between sketch and building so ideas can move from the page into physical space in real time.