A procedural framework for design to fabrication

In the past five years, research in design to fabrication has significantly advanced the instruments that enable a fluid connection between design environments and production machines. Today, current research enquiries how these technological advances can be deployed to a wide range of material processes. In this process of expansion of the scope of design to fabrication, coordination between diverse research efforts regarding common goals, instruments and processes can be of significant importance for consolidating design to fabrication as a distinct area of study and understand its role in architectural education. To this effect, this paper studies projects that involve design to fabrication and elaborates a procedural framework that discusses four components: goals, scope, instruments and workflows. This framework is based on the analysis of previous research projects by the author and collaborators and tested through the work done by students in a design studio based on this framework.