January 15th, 2021 by admin
Very happy that our team from the Robotic Fabrication Lab @ The Faculty of Architecture at HKU managed to bring this exhibition together. We had a great opening last Monday. The show will give insights about the design concepts, robotic production, and the implementation. To all who are still interested, the exhibit will continue until January 31st 2021. PMQ (S507, 5/F)
Tags: 3D Printing, PMQ, Reformative Coral Habitat, Robotics, University of Hong Kong
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January 3rd, 2021 by admin
Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park is a local biodiversity hotspot accounting for more than three-quarters of reef-building corals in Hong Kong and more than 120 fish species. However, in recent years, gradual deterioration of the coral habitat, a process known as bioerosion, coupled with coral bleaching and mass mortality events in 2015-2016, are putting the future of the coral community at risk. In view of this, a team of HKU architects and marine scientists has developed a series of reformative 3D printed terracotta reef-structures intended to aid coral restoration by providing structurally complex substrates at the degraded areas.
The design and production of the hundred and twenty-eight 3D printed reef tiles were executed in the Robotic Fabrication Lab of the Faculty of Architecture at HKU. Covering roughly 40 sq. meters in total, the tiles were deployed in selected sites in the marine park in July 2020. The experiment will be closely monitored by marine scientists and researchers for the next one and half years.
The project is commissioned by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and is part of an ongoing active management measure for coral restoration in Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park in Hong Kong.
This exhibition reveals the design concepts , manufacturing process, deployment, and ageing process of the tiles.
Date: 11-Jan-2021 – 31-Jan-2021, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Venue: S507, 5/F, Staunton (Block A), PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong
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August 26th, 2020 by admin
We are thrilled to share that the Reformative Coral Habitat project has received a lot of media attention. The article by the guardian was in particular encouraging. It is a charming read indeed.
To read the article, please use the following link:
www.theguardian.com
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July 14th, 2020 by admin
Finally this collaborative project between the Robotic Fabrication Lab and SWIMS at HKU moved out of the lab. The team in the Robotic Fabrication Lab was responsible for the design and the fabrication of the tiles, working hard to ensure an even quality of the tiles. Here you see loosely assembled 72 of the final 100 tiles which were delivered yesterday. Let’s hope they will perform well on Hong Kong’s seabed.
Tags: 3D Printing, Computation, Reformative Coral Habitat, Robotic Fabrication Lab, Robotics, University of Hong Kong
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February 15th, 2020 by admin
Finally I can show some pictures of the latest outcomes of the Fall 2019 studio. This MArch studio is the third studio that focused on 3d clay printing and brick specials. This time we looked into spatial arrangements of this peculiar material system. Below you can find an excerpt of the brief:
Agenda:
Over the past three years, the agenda within the research and teaching of the robotic fabrication lab in the Faculty of Architecture at HKU has focused on the development of novel approaches for 3d printing ceramic brick specials. The key question within this specific research trajectory was on how we, as designers, can rethink one of the most traditional material systems in Architecture with innovative fabrication methods of today.
While in previous studios the focus was primarily on the development and making of the individual brick and its performance beyond physical strength, this semester, we will re-direct our attention to structural capacity and techniques of assembly. Traditionally Bricks are put together via a level and a plumb line. That method is suitable for walls, but more complex systems such as arches and vaults need temporary scaffolding or a specific false-work to achieve accurate assembly and structural strength.
The studio, therefore, will investigate how robotic 3d printing and novel fabrication processes for false-work can rethink and transform structural brick systems that rely on pure compression. The ultimate goal of the studio is to develop, make, and test experimental prototypes, and to understand their fitness for inventive programs, types, and spaces.
Tags: 3D Printing, Brick Special, Terracotta, University of Hong Kong
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December 28th, 2019 by admin
Very happy to share this feature in China Daily, which says “as smart technologies pervade our lives like never before, we turn the spotlight on some of HK’s most noteworthy achievers from across different creative fields who engage with artificial intelligence, or the idea of it. Architect and faculty member of the architecture department of the University of Hong Kong, Christian J. Lange set up the city’s first robotic fabrication lab. In an exclusive interview to China Daily, Lange shares his thoughts on how AI, computation and robotics inform his life, works and ambition.” Enjoy!!
To read the article, please use the following link:
https://www.chinadailyhk.com
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January 13th, 2019 by admin
At last, I would like to show some photos of the outcomes of the latest studio that I taught at The University of Hong Kong. The M.Arch I studio entitled “AUTOBRICKFORMATION” focused on one of architecture’s oldest building materials, the brick.
Below is an excerpt of the brief:
The history of architecture is primarily based on a model of parts-to-whole. One of the oldest building material that is the ultimate embodiment of this concept is the brick. The brick was until modern times the standard component to build mundane buildings around the world. It represents a building material that can be flexibly assembled, is good in compression, and, although it’s based on a standardized logic, has an extensive range of architectural expression. Originally bricks were made through a slop moulding method. Today, most industrially produced bricks are made through a die extrusion process. It’s a fast and economical method but has its limitations in complexity achievable.
In the past decade, 3d printing technology has become more advanced and has made its way into architecture. Many of the industry experts who are driving this development dream of large-scale production with large printers that print entire houses in every shape and form. Though there are quite a few promising developments on the horizon, it is certain that this trend will be only one trajectory of how we think about new technologies to drive contemporary architectural production. The studio therefore will focus on the brick and try to understand how recent technologies can rethink this 7000-year-old building material.
Students: Fan Taiwen, Fan Xinkai, Hong Chen, Hu Chi Hing, Lai Chu Tung Jetson, Lin Xuancheng, Liu Pui Hang Desmond, Wang Youlin, Yam Ka Kit
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January 10th, 2019 by admin
Very happy to share that the CeramicInformation Pavilion was included in the latest publication of Rumoer. The issue 69 of the periodical for the building technologist, which is publsihed by Tu Delft is on Digital Making. Happy that we also made it onto the cover.
Tags: Robotics
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November 25th, 2018 by admin
The Robotic Fabrication Lab of HKU’s Faculty of Architecture will have a booth in this years Urbanovation Pavilion at DesignInspire 2018. On display will be some experimental prototypes showcasing 3d printed ceramic bricks that came out of the lab recently. The event will take place at the Wanchai Convention Hall from December 6-8.
Design Inspire
An international exhibition about design, creativity and innovation
6-8/12/2018
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
For more info on the event please visit also:
http://www.designinspire.com.hk/
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November 2nd, 2018 by admin
Christian J. Lange will be giving a public research seminar at the Centre for Urban Studies and Urban Planning at HKU. The talk will be centered around the recent research on brick specials in the Robotic Fabrication Lab at HKU. All are welcome.
DATE:
14 November 2018 (Wednesday)
TIME:
13:00-14:00
VENUE:
Room 829,
Knowles Building
The University
of Hong Kong
Tags: lecture
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