This blog is the alternative found to register the day-to-day activities that happen during the eight weeks of the Research Program in Digital Fabrication. Due to the impossibility of assessment during all the process and activities that might happen (we all know that the best and craziest ideas tend to come in the most unexpected times), this tool will act as a journal which I can register every step in the course of the research.
The intention is to post in the blog daily, in a variety of formats, including images, videos, news, articles, sketches, texts etc., that in someway captures my ideas and intentions and make easier, for the professor and also for myself, to understand in which direction I am heading. Some examples of content I will post are: precedent projects; YouTube videos; pictures of prototypes; written text explaining my ideas, among others.
My interest for Digital Fabrication can be traced down to my school times. As a teenager I was trying to decide which major was the best fit for me. At that time, I still had no idea which profession to follow because I was interested in many subjects, from mathematics to arts, but I didn’t have A favorite or one that I was more skilled than another. So after a long time I finally decided to attend the Architecture School considering it to be the widest field in which I could explore different branches of it. However, in the beginning of my freshman year, the classes I attended were focused on the artistic view of architecture, which left me frustrated. But as the semesters passed by, and new sides of architecture were introduced, I saw that it really was as wide as I expected. In those new discoveries, one area particularly gained my attention: the use of new technologies in the architecture design. This subject was perfect for me because approached architecture - a very artistic and humanistic expression - in a very technological way, bringing science, math and technology to the game.
Unfortunately, my college in Brazil lacks the infrastructure in terms of machines available for students, and equipment such as 3D Printers and Laser Cutters are still very expensive and thus rare in my city. The opportunity of an exchange program in the U.S.A. presented me the chance of getting in touch with these technologies, renovating my curiosity for the subject. So when I had the chance of applying for a Research Project in this Summer, Digital Fabrication was among the topics I really wanted to explore. Fortunately, I was accepted at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), in Chicago (one of the greatest cities for architecture students) and I expect that the research in Digital Fabrication will increase my interest in the area and also will make me more knowledgeable in one of the biggest trends in architecture for the past years.
Hope You Enjoy It!!!