Interface/Ornament: Enabling Engagement Through Digital Design and Fabrication

Abstract

Along with a renewed interest in the use of pattern and ornament in architecture, there is a growing body of research into how cognitive processes shape the experience of the built environment and an increasing awareness that embodied experiences of making can deepen the level of critical engagement with concepts related to technology and society. The intersection between the fields of design and production of architectural ornament and the study of the perception and experience of the built environment provides a rich territory for design research and innovation. Digital tools and processes such as robotic fabrication have added a range of new possibilities in terms of precision, dexterity and human/machine collaboration in bringing digital design into physical space. These tools and processes offer the potential to democratize the design and production of the built environment.