Will Robots Build Your Next Project?

A brick wall is being built on a traffic island in New York without human hands. The robot doing the work is a brainchild of two architects as an illustration of 'digital materiality'.

1 minute read

October 29, 2009, 5:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


The architects, Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler of Zurich, believe that combining robots and computer-aided design will revolutionize architecture.

"[T]he point of Gramazio and Kohler's research is not to put the bricklayer out of a job. Their latest installation is primarily supposed to be for the purposes of architectural research -- a test of the potential and limitations of this production technique with respect to a contemporary design culture, as they put it.

Gramazio and Kohler's research team already used R-O-B to build a oscillating wall at last year's Architecture Biennale in Venice."

Monday, October 26, 2009 in Science Daily

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of Donald Shoup during interview.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86

Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

February 10, 2025 - StreetsBlog NYC

Close-up of smartphone with USDOT website pulled up and screen with USDOT logo in background.

DOT Memo Directs Transportation Funding to Communities With Higher Marriage and Birth Rates, Compliance with Immigration Officials and No Mask Mandates

The memo ties immigration enforcement to federal funding and prohibits mask or vaccine mandates.

February 5, 2025 - Huffpost

ELderly woman wearing black helmet and blue puffy vest stands next to e-bike with white and brown dog in rear basket.

Washington State E-Bike Rebate Set to Launch in April

The state program will offer up to $1,200 to fund the purchase of electric bikes.

February 4, 2025 - The Bellingham Herald

Native American ruins at Chaco Culture National Historical Park in winter with snow.

BLM Approves Controversial Oil and Gas Leases on Navajo Land

The parcels are located near a sensitive archaeological site, but some Indigenous leaders approve of the move, which will bring in millions in revenue.

2 hours ago - High Country News

Cars and pedestrians on Hong Kong street at night.

Hong Kong Cab Hailing App Folds — and Uber Takes Over

HKTaxi launched a year before Uber came to town. Now, it’s shutting down. Lawmakers worry a monopoly looms.

3 hours ago - South China Morning Post

Small encampment with tents and mattress along heating pipe in green forest.

Rural Homelessness Could Be Vastly Underestimated, Study Finds

The annual ‘point in time’ count fails to capture the diverse types of situations experienced by unhoused people in rural communities.

4 hours ago - The Daily Yonder