earlier this year, the ROB|ARCH conference returned to explore how robotic fabrication impacts the fields of architecture, art, and design. hosted by the swiss national centre of competence in research (NCCR) digital fabrication and ETH zurich, the event examined how the advent of robotics in the creative and construction industries has led to a revolution that has not just changed how things are designed and made, but also the broader cultural, political, and economic landscape.
 
as an official media partner of ROB|ARCH 2018, designboom spoke with philip f. yuan, one of the event?s keynote speakers, who leads shanghai-based firm archi-union. as part of the interview, which can be read in full below, the chinese architect discusses the importance of culture and tradition, and explains how robotic fabrication can lead to a ?cyborg future?.
this exhibtion venue in shanghai was built in just 100 days | image by fangfang tian (also main image)
read more about the project on designboom here
 
 
designboom (DB): archi-union combines digital technology with craftsmanship. why is it so important to maintain a sense of tradition in your work"
 
philip f. yuan (PFY): for our studio, digital technology is not only a design tool, but also a new thinking methodology, in which the thinking process unites both the global technology and local cultures. I often refer to this as a ?glocal? thinking process. if an architect would like to construct a building within a local con...