Ceramic Constellation | Robotically Printed Brick Specials

Abstract

The fired clay brick, a mainstay of Chinese construction, has for many years languished. Rough cast and hidden behind layers of stucco, it plays a supporting role to reinforced concrete and steel - rarely however in a literal sense. This has not always been the case - highly decorative, geometrically complex, perforated or materially modified in response to specific structural or environmental conditions, the brick has played an instrumental and expressive role in the built history of China. This paper describes a means by which a traditional craft and its inherent material intelligence may be transformed into a flexible and performative system of construction through the integration of parametric design software and 3D robotic clay printing technology, ultimately offering a culturally rooted yet modern material solution for a modernizing China.