Behavioural Production: A Swarm Constructed Architecture

Behavioural Production engages with robotic production and material character directly, exploring design processes that operate directly on matter through behaviour-based programming. Speculating on the merging of design and production into a single creative process, Studio Robert Stuart-Smith in the AA School’s AA.DRL master program has conducted research into Aerial Robotic Swarm Construction; and is now contributing to a collaboration with Imperial College, UCL-Computer Science and Bath University on the UK EPSRC Research project Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing (Aerial ABM). AA.DRL Studio Robert Stuart-Smith’s work will be presented alongside other projects from University of Innsbruck and Robert Stuart-Smith Design that explore behaviour-based modes of design and manufacture, engaging in detailed organisations of matter and the generation of qualitative design affects that are intrinsic to their Behavioural Production.

Robert Stuart-Smith is a director of RIBA Chartered Architectural practice Robert Stuart-Smith Design, co-founder of the computational research group -Kokkugia, a Studio Course Master in the AA.DRL Masters program at the Architectural Association, and a Principle Research Associate in University College of London’s Computer Science department where he is a Research Investigator for multi-agent robotic construction in the EPSRC Research Project: Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing (Aerial ABM), which explores the use of mobile robots for on-site 3D-printed construction.  Robert’s practice recently received an RCA Design Innovation Award, and has been published in journals such as L’Architecture D’Aujourd’hui, L’Arca and AD: Architectural Design, has been a three times nominee for the Lakhov Chernikov Prize, and has had works acquired by the FRAC gallery in Orléans, France. 

Image caption: AA.DRL Studio Robert Stuart-Smith, Aerial Braided Construction
Students: Alejandra Rojas, Karthikeyan Arunachalam, Maria Garcia, Melhem Sfeir
Supervisor:  Robert Stuart-Smith
Technical Assistants: Tyson Hosmer, Manos Matsis