Robo-bricklayer used for precision finish for complex facade
Shanghai firm Archi-Union Architects used a robot to lay the bricks for part of the Chi She artistic centre, as the level of precision required would not have been achievable by traditional techniques. The design team was able to create the cambered exterior surface of the building using a robotic arm to lay recycled bricks, producing a bulging effect. The finished building is now said to represent the "connection between people and bricks, machines and construction".

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Structural Engineer: Rui Wang, Junchao Shen, Xiaofeng Zhang, Jin Wang

Construction Equipment: Yong Liu, Changying Jiang, Xi Li

Fabrication Company: Fab-Union

Fabrication Team: Philip F. Yuan, Yuchen Hu, Liming Zhang, Wen Zhang.

Architect In Charge: Archi Union Architects Inc, Philip F. Yuan

Design Team: Alex Han, Xiangping Kong, Tianrui Zhu, Qinrong Liu

City: Shanghai

Country: China

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Text description provided by the architects. Chi She is an artistic group founded by ZHANG Peili, GENG Jiangyi, whose exhibition space in West Bund Art Exhibition Area characterizes an altitude towards realism, that is, chasing the spatial appeal, harmonizing with integral environment, as well as realizing formal representation corresponding with the artistic mission embedded inside. It is hoped that the building can provide a delicate and abundant compound art space, where contains various artistic events, such as curiosities exhibition, creative workshop and unpremeditated communication.

We retained the initial exterior walls, followed by the elementary performance enhancement and structure reinforcement, in order to provide a maximum exhibition space. Therefore, under the condition of maintaining the space perception of the whole artistic park, part of the roof has been elevated in order to create an interlayer space, where people could enjoy the intact sky view. Furthermore, the roof structure has been replaced by a lightweight and more efficient tensioning string wood structure, and part of them is lifted to obtain the skylight indicating the climate change, which presents a sense of harmony. On the other hand, the grey green bricks coordinated with this ancient building have been applied on the exterior part located on the main interface towards the park. When the wall in the entrance is curled up a lit bit, this generated wrinkle wall texture becomes the impressive part of the form manipulation, which represents the architectural expressions as well, that is, a status that embodies current cultural trends based on tradition.

In order to complete such a masonry process that cannot be precisely achieved by traditional technology, we applied the robotic masonry fabrication technique by Fab-Union, which accomplishes the first endeavor to utilize the advanced digital fabrication technology to construct on site. The external walls of Chi She were built by the recycled grey green bricks from the old building and constructed with the help of the advanced technology of mechanical arm, which generates a cambered surface morphology, showing the vitality of Chi She.

The precise positioning of the integrated equipment of robotic masonry fabrication technique and the construction elaborately to the mortar and bricks by the craftsmen makes this ancient material, brick, be able to meet the requirements in the new era, and realizes the presentation of the design model consummately. The dilapidation of these old bricks coordinated with the stretch display of the curving walls are narrating a connection between people and bricks, machines and construction, design and culture, which will be spread permanently in the shadow of external walls under the setting sun.