Beaded Buildings: Ornament, Craft and Digital Manufacturing in Canadian Architecture

Abstract

Ornament is an aspect of architectural practice that has seen a fall from grace since the early 20th century, but a recent “return” of ornament is being recognized in architectural discourse, inviting a new era of artistic and craft exploration that dovetails with the development of digital fabrication technologies.

Beadwork is an ancient and highly valued art form that has so far rarely been incorporated into the built environment. Commonly known as 3D printing, Robotic Additive Manufacturing of ceramics for architectural application is likewise still a new field in architecture. This thesis focuses on the potentials of 3D printed ceramic components for architecture, presenting a suite of functional computational tools for the manufacture of building components, exploiting the unique aesthetic qualities of 3D printing to create “beaded” qualities.