Coursework_California College of the Arts_MArch_Fall 2015
Instructor_Andrew Kudless

The Digital Concrete seminar explored concrete as a building material and the emerging tools and technologies used in its design and fabrication. From robotic hot-wire cutting of foam molds to casts of CNC milled molds to fully 3D-printed cement objects, digitally controlled machines are increasingly being used within the industry to produce highly complex forms with advanced performative qualities. This seminar tested the relationships between these cutting edge technologies and the traditional material of concrete over the course of three experiments.

Part one utilized robotic manufacturing techniques to hot-wire cut a foam block, where the negative cuts were assembled into a form for casting. The final product, a sculptural concrete module, compares the tolerances of cast concrete from a precise robotic-cut foam mold. Produced from a series of dives and rotations by the robotic hot-wire, this piece defines a network of intersecting voids carved from the foam block.