Our program
In just one year, become industry ready. Our streamlined curriculum hones in on the essential skills necessary for launching the next step of your career. Structured into three distinct trimesters, our program employs tailored teaching methods that lead to clear learning outcomes. Your journey is enriched through your immersion into our academic excellence, digital culture, and commitment to practice: you will visit innovative companies, attend guest lectures on emergent topics, and receive feedback on your work from practitioners in the field.
Key development areas 1,2,3,4
1_Programming
Teaching programming, with a focus on object-oriented programming, is a core aspect of MAS ETH DFAB. Students progress from fundamentals to advanced skills, covering both procedural and object-oriented techniques. Computational design, integral to the creative process in architecture, relies on algorithm-driven methods. Parametric modeling, known for its adaptability and dynamic design, is emphasized, with a focus on structuring models for usability. Geometric topology, hierarchy, and non-hierarchy concepts in parametric modeling are explored to develop robust approaches. The curriculum highlights Python, COMPAS framework, RhinoCommon, Grasshopper, and robotic control via UR script, RAPID, and ROS.
2_3D Printing
The MAS ETH DFAB program explores 3D printing in construction, promising complex, non-standardized structures at no extra cost. It leverages 3D printing’s tectonic logic to create integrative building systems, emphasizing both external design and internal structures for high-resolution functionally graded elements. These studies are connected to traditional prefab components. Students use custom algorithmic design tools and produce designs as prototypes or full-scale 3D prints.
3_Robotic Control
The program teaches the basics
of robotic control and tool design, including mechanical and electronic requirements for specific fabrication tasks. Industrial robotic arms can be considered one of the universal tools of the digital age, having been instrumental in shaping the notion
of digital materiality. Their ability
to very precisely position building material in the desired location and in a given orientation has enabled the construction of large scale, complex spatial structures with unprecedented accuracy and speed. Students make creative use of acquired skills in modeling, scripting, and fabrication exercises, and
will develop their own robotic coordination, path planning, and kinematic simulation.
Robotic Cooperation
In our Robotics Fabrication Lab (RFL)
Research on collaboration potential
between two 6-axis industrial robotic arms. The precision of movement,
positioning and gripping building
elements in space offers new
non regular fabrication.
Photo: Gramazio Kohler Reasearch
4_Full-scale Demonstrators
Our outstanding infrastructure provides students with the opportunity to create large-scale, 1:1 demonstrators. These projects serve as a platform for testing architectural concepts at full scale. Students engage in rigorous design and manufacturing processes, guided by tutors, allowing them to iterate on designs, experiment with full-scale techniques, troubleshoot issues, and ultimately bring their designs to life. These projects often involve collaborations with industry partners and are executed in exceptional locations. They immerse students in a digital design cycle, where conceptual ideals meet the practical realities of materials, schedules, budgets, and time constraints.
Demonstrator
above:
2020 MAS ETH DFAB Demonstrator
Rapid Clay Formations
Photo: Gramazio Kohler Research
left:
2020 MAS ETH DFAB Demonstrator
Digital Bamboo , ZAZ Museum
Photo: Andrei Jipa Digital Building
Technologies