Workshop name

Gradient Timber Tectonics: A Robotic Narrative of Statics

梯度木构：机器人演绎的静力学叙事

 

Four keywords

Timber Structure; Graphic Statics; Material Gradient; Robotic Fabrication

 

Required skills

Rhino, Grasshopper

 

Required software

Rhinoceros 7

 

Required hardware

Laptop

 

Maximum number of participating students

12

 

Description

Contemporary timber construction faces a critical challenge: how to reconcile the inherent variability of natural materials with the precision demands of modern engineering. Traditional approaches often force wood into standardized, homogenized systems, overlooking its anisotropic potential. Meanwhile, the growing need for sustainable, low-carbon structures calls for smarter material use—where every fiber is optimally engaged.  This workshop addresses these challenges through gradient tectonics—a methodology that harmonizes timber's natural characteristics with computational precision. By coupling graphic statics with robotic fabrication, we explore how force-aware material distribution can create structures that are simultaneously lighter, stronger, and more materially efficient.

 

During the workshop, participants will decode structural forces through interactive graphic statics, transforming abstract load paths into tangible design parameters; Develop the strategic distribution of wood elements with varying material properties using robotic fabrication that respond to localized stress patterns; Assemble a full-scale prototype demonstrating how computational and robotic precision can unlock wood's material intelligence.

 

The outcomes offer new perspectives on how timber construction can evolve to be more truly aligned with the material's essential nature, where each component's form and placement emerge as a poetic synthesis of structural logic and wood's inherent character.

 

Instructors

Philip F. Yuan| 袁烽, Hua Chai | 柴华 Tongji University

Denis Zastavni, Sylvain Rasneur UCLouvain

 

Schedule

Day #	Time	Content
Day 1: June 28	8am - 5pm	工作营报到注册、工作营内容介绍及培训 Student Check-in & Workshop Introduction & Tutorials
Day 2: June 29	9am - 5pm	Design explorations: structural design and  analysis with VGS SkillUp: vector-based graphic statics (VGS) Basics
Day 3: June 30	9am - 5pm	Material explorations: material preparation and robotic prototyping SkillUp: Robotic Fabrication: Design, Simulation and Programming
Day 4: July 1	9am - 5pm	Robotic prototyping of structural prototype
Day 5: July 2	9am - 5pm	Robotic fabrication of full-scale demonstrator
Day 6: July 3	9am - 5pm	Robotic fabrication of full-scale demonstrator
Day 7: July 4	9am - 5pm	Full-scale demonstrator assembly
Day 8: July 5	9am - 5pm	终期汇报和展览开幕 Final Presentation / Exhibition Opening
Day 9: July 6	9am - 5pm	工作营闭幕式 Closing Cerenomy