Digital design and fabrication technologies have become integral to contemporary design and architectural practice discourse. The translation from design to realization is mediated by a range of tools and processes whose development is informed over time by material properties, skill, technology, and culture. As a whole, these systems are the vehicle by which design teams, manufacturers, installers, and, ultimately, users engage the materiality of architecture and design. Parallel technological developments relating to the way in which things are designed (digital modeling, simulation, generative design, AI, etc.) and the way things are made (automation, computer-controlled equipment including robotics, advanced materials, etc.) have afforded new opportunities and challenges related to the realization of new forms in architecture, part customization, user-centered design, and enhanced building performance.

Within this context, this course will explore the materialization of design as both a technical and a creative endeavor. Special attention will be given to the interplay between digital information and physical artifacts, the opportunities and shortcomings of those translations, and the impact these technologies and outcomes may have on society. Beyond technology for the sake of technology, the course will explore how climate change, destabilized supply chains, and material life cycle considerations have begun to challenge our reliance on singular global material flows in favor of increasingly distributed systems. Further, the class will explore the resonance between particular modes of making and geometrical expression, and how computational design paradigms can further enhance this relationship.

Through lectures, hands-on workshops, and making-centric assignments, students will engage with a range of methods and materials that underpin a foundation in digital fabrication. Guest lectures will highlight how digital technologies are impacting the construction and manufacturing industries across scales and contexts. Through early assignments and a term project, the course is designed to provide hands-on experience with the digital fabrication equipment available in the GSD Fabrication Lab — including CNC mills, 3D printers, 3D scanners, and industrial robotic arms — and is suited for novices and experts across all disciplines. No prerequisites are required, but students are assumed to have a basic competency in 3D modeling (Rhino 3D).

Note regarding the Fall 2025 GSD academic calendar: The first day of classes, Tuesday, September 2nd, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. This course will meet for the first time on Tuesday, September 2nd.