Engineering-integrated robotic timber diagrids: co-located analysis-to-fabrication workflow and rapid assembly

Multi-functional adaptive robotic fabrication strategy for irregular reclaimed timber in large-scale building components for circular construction

Reusing wood in construction is crucial for advancing circular practices as global demand for timber exceeds sustainable supply. This research investigates an adaptive robotic fabrication strategy for constructing structural architectural components from irregular reclaimed timber. Building on prior work in digital upcycling and augmented-reality-assisted assembly, this study develops a multi-functional fabrication framework that integrates automated pick-and-place, nailing, drilling, and doweling into a coherent robotic process for non-standard timber elements. Reclaimed timber from industrial offcuts, demolition, and used pallets is scanned and digitally mapped to capture geometric and material variability. Computational design tools then optimize the arrangement of these elements within structural assemblies, balancing performance and fabrication feasibility. Using a 6-axis industrial robot with a linear axis, this system executes adaptive pick-and-place operations and mono-material joining through pneumatic wood nailing, drilling, and doweling, avoiding metal connectors or adhesives. The integrated workflow combines open- and closed-loop control, laser sensing, and parametric design to manage tolerances in geometry and surface quality. Two full-scale case studies, consisting of frame and floor slab components, demonstrate the system’s feasibility and architectural application. The results position multi-functional robotic fabrication as a key enabler for circular construction, transforming reclaimed timber from low-grade waste into a high-value building resource. The research advances digital design, fabrication, and sustainability by framing robotic upcycling as a pathway toward resource-efficient architectural production.

GRAFT: a relational data framework for robotic timber fabrication and assembly

This paper presents a graph-based data structure for robotic timber fabrication that unifies reciprocal structural information, assembly sequencing, and inverted robotic path-planning within a shared relational framework. Current fabrication workflows in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry are dominated by linear and opaque data exchanges, limited interoperability within current industry, and limited adaptability to new designs. By contrast, GRAFT (Graph-Based Robotic Assembly and Fabrication for Timber) formalizes fabrication dependencies as a graph network, linking data nodes and edges to material stock and generating fabrication data through explicit edge relationships. This structure allows design intent, material properties, and fabrication logic to co-evolve dynamically throughout robotic production. A prototype implementation demonstrates how fabrication data derived from the graph can be decomposed into modular machining operations and executed through a multi-tool robotic setup. This approach integrates standard industrial data protocols while maintaining compatibility with emerging BIM-graph data frameworks. Results from a reciprocal timber frame case study highlight the framework’s capacity to improve data transparency, enable adaptive assembly sequencing, and optimize robotic timber fabrication. The proposed method contributes to developing scalable, machine-driven data infrastructures that connect design, material, and fabrication intelligence promoting adaptive, automation-ready timber production. Theme D: Robots + Emerging Methodologies.

Co-designing a timber-based collective robotic construction system: advances in physical demonstration and control

This paper presents the development of a co-designed timber assembly system with a mobile robotic platform for collective robotic construction (CRC) across three successive demonstrations. Iterative advances in the relationship between material, mechanical robot design, architectural design, and robotic control enable the system to advance from showcasing robotic capabilities, to realizing the planar assembly of timber struts, and finally to achieving the spatial construction of truss-like structures. The first two demonstrations established a foundation for scalable coordination between multiple small mobile robotic actuators and standardized, linear timber building elements they manipulate for 2D assembly. The third demonstration extended this CRC system to the construction of spatial assemblies, demonstrating real-time planning adjustments and the coordination of homogeneous robotic agents. This research argues that co-design, linking the various research aspects in CRC, can be leveraged in the development of systems to progressively meet more complex fabrication goals. The outcomes highlight the potential of CRC as an alternative approach to architectural construction compared to centralized, large-scale machinery workflows.

Adaptive robotic processing of tree roots for free-form architectural columns

Research on the Integration of Steel Structure Design and Fabrication Based on MBSE

The results indicate that the proposed MBSE-oriented digital thread improves design consistency, reduces manual data re-entry, and strengthens traceability from requirements to manufacturing and assembly.

Workflow and Lab-Scale Demonstrator of an on-substrate 3D-Printed Window Frame

Additive Manufacturing offers significant potential in construction by directly converting digital designs into physical objects. However, this potential is constrained by the separated fabrication approach–components are printed away from their final location and later installed. Inherent to most AM processes, it disrupts automation and adds complexity to the construction process. This study demonstrates a laboratory on-substrate workflow that prints directly onto the receiving substructure. A comprehensive workflow was developed, integrating digital design, slicing, and robotic on-substrate Additive Manufacturing to address challenges such as printing directly onto pre-existing structures, handling multiple orientations, and managing complex geometries. Experimental validation was conducted using a robotic Additive Manufacturing setup, demonstrating the fabrication of a fixed glass window frame prototype with varied material properties during printing. The window frame was 3D-printed in 4 hours, 10 minutes, and 34 seconds. Findings suggest that on-substrate Additive Manufacturing with thermoset polymers is a viable approach, offering potential for streamlined construction and enhanced customisation, laying the groundwork for scalable, automated façade construction.