TY - GEN
T1 - From Heritage to Robotic Fabrication
T2 - 31st International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, CAADRIA 2026
AU - Finkelstein, Ofer
AU - Shaked, Tom
AU - Larianovsky, Pavel
AU - Sprecher, Aaron
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 and published by the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA), Hong Kong.
PY - 2026
Y1 - 2026
N2 - This paper presents a method for fabricating formworkfree funicular domes through robotic non-planar 3D printing. Drawing on the thin-tile vaulting logic of 19th-century Spanish architect and builder Rafael Guastavino, the research translates his geometric and procedural principles into a robotic fabrication workflow. A deformation-guided fabrication approach is introduced, in which deformation observed during printing informs adjustments to fabrication parameters and layer count. The method was demonstrated through a 1:10 Segmented Non-Planar Funicular Dome (SNPF-Dome), printed with an earth-based mixture using a six-axis robotic arm. The experiment progressed through three stages: identifying geometric limits via planar printing, testing non-planar slicing orientations, and developing a segmented construction strategy. While planar printing failed at a rise-to-span ratio of 0.4, the proposed non-planar, deformation-guided approach produced a stable, self-supporting structure under identical conditions. The research highlights how integrating historical construction intelligence with robotic fabrication can enable sustainable, formwork-free architectural structures.
AB - This paper presents a method for fabricating formworkfree funicular domes through robotic non-planar 3D printing. Drawing on the thin-tile vaulting logic of 19th-century Spanish architect and builder Rafael Guastavino, the research translates his geometric and procedural principles into a robotic fabrication workflow. A deformation-guided fabrication approach is introduced, in which deformation observed during printing informs adjustments to fabrication parameters and layer count. The method was demonstrated through a 1:10 Segmented Non-Planar Funicular Dome (SNPF-Dome), printed with an earth-based mixture using a six-axis robotic arm. The experiment progressed through three stages: identifying geometric limits via planar printing, testing non-planar slicing orientations, and developing a segmented construction strategy. While planar printing failed at a rise-to-span ratio of 0.4, the proposed non-planar, deformation-guided approach produced a stable, self-supporting structure under identical conditions. The research highlights how integrating historical construction intelligence with robotic fabrication can enable sustainable, formwork-free architectural structures.
KW - Deformation-Guided Fabrication Method
KW - Funicular Geometry
KW - Guastavino Vaulting
KW - Non-Planar 3D Printing
KW - Robotic Construction
KW - Self-Supporting 3D Printing
KW - Shell Structures
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105048811141
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AN - SCOPUS:105048811141
SN - 9789887891895
T3 - Proceedings of the International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia
SP - 481
EP - 490
BT - Humanistic Computation and Intelligence - Proceedings of the 31st International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, CAADRIA 2026 - Volume 2
A2 - Makki, Mohammed
A2 - Chen, Jielin
A2 - Nik Chien, Sheng-Fen
A2 - Liu, Jie
A2 - Wang, Likai
A2 - Wang, Shih-Yuan
PB - The Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia
Y2 - 26 April 2026 through 2 May 2026
ER -