Symposium Fabrication Gap

We know that the construction industry has had virtually no growth in productivity in decades. The sector is responsible for over 15 percent of carbon emissions and over 50 percent of all landfill waste, while we have been struggling to build faster, leaner, and better. Modular construction has largely been unsuccessful. For decades, it has been seen as the best way to industrialize the construction industry, however, apart from a just a few examples, its impact has been negligible, and the desired transformation of our industry has not taken place.

We need a rethink. We need to involve the construction supply chain, which has developed a deep level of industrial production over time, and feed their solutions into the design at a much earlier point in the process. As a part of that approach, we must solve the interfaces between the different trades and systems. In turn, we need to completely rethink the idea of how a kit of parts is put together.

At the symposium we will present and discuss with a broad range of experts an approach that brings all these considerations together. It will integrate supply-chain solutions while also allowing the construction industry to innovate. It will create standards that focus on interoperability and interface solutions while remaining open-source. It will use technology to facilitate the integration of different system solutions.

By closing the fabrication gap, it will allow for the reduction of construction times while also increasing the quality of what we are building. And in designing for an integrated, industrialised construction process, we will allow for individual architectural expression rather than creating the need for generic standardization.

Organized by: Department of Structural Design, Institute of Architecture, University of Applied Arts Vienna
Prof. Wolf Mangelsdorf.

In collaboration with: Prof. Fabian Scheurer, Hochschule München; Prof. Greg Lynn, Design Studio 2, Institute of Architecture, University of Applied Arts Vienna.

Thursday, April 18, 2024 2–6pm
Introduction / Keynotes: Chris Kaufield, Vice President of SaaS Growth, Stoke Space, Seattle; Fabian Scheurer, Professor for Digital Construction Technology and Fabrication, Partner at Design-to-Production, München

Friday, April 19, 2024 9am–5pm
Panel Discussion I: Designing for Industrialised Construction / Panel Discussion II: The Role of Technology / Panel Discussion III: Architectural Quality.

Panelists
Melike Altinisik, Founder, Melike Altinisik Architects, Istanbul / Al Fisher, Head of Design Technology, Buro Happold, Bath / David Flynn, Co-founder and COO, Kope, London / Matthew Holloway, Principal, Grimshaw, London / Christian Kaufmann, Managing Director, Kaufmann Bausysteme, Reuthe / Mareike Lamm, Partner, Sauerbruch Hutton, Berlin / Friedrich Ludewig, Founding Director, Acme, London / Maria Mateo Navarro, Head of Creative Design, ECE, Hamburg / Viviana Muscettola, Director, Zaha Hadid Architects, London / Wolfgang Rieder, CEO, Rieder Gruppe, Maishofen / Jonathan Roynon, Lead, Industrial Construction, Buro Happold, Bath / Roland Sitzberger, Partner, Porsche Consulting, Stuttgart / Erlend Spets, Associate Partner, McKinsey, Oslo / Daniel Wright, Associate Partner, RSHP, London.