Inaugural Lecture - Prof. Stefana Parascho
Date: 10 May 2023
Time: 17:30 - 18:45
Introductions by the Dean, lectures by Prof. Olga Fink and Prof. Stefana Parascho. Followed by an Apero.
Place: CO2
Zoom link
Title:
From Automation to Collaboration
Repositioning Robots in Design and Construction
Abstract
Digital tools for design and construction have been mainly following two goals: automating analogue processes and materialising complex geometries. Robotics can create new opportunities if we shift from top-down processes, to collaborative, adaptable and intuitive ones that purposely make space for human interaction, reflection and creativity.
Robots working cooperatively, humans and robots building together, designers creating along with machines – the presented work explores the various relationships between humans and machines, between software and hardware, and between efficiency and the needs of our built environment. From scaffold-free assembly to robots employed for material reuse and computational tools designed to ease interdisciplinary knowledge exchange – the goal is to move beyond narratives of efficiency and towards more open and inclusive approaches that can better link technology to societal and environmental challenges. Ultimately, this requires the exploration of new roles for machines, new relationships between humans, algorithms and robots, and new connections across disciplines.
About the speaker
Stefana Parascho is a researcher, architect, and educator whose work lies at the intersection of architecture, digital fabrication and computational design. She is currently an Assistant Professor at EPFL where she founded the Lab for Creative Computation (CRCL).
Through her research, she has explored multi-agent fabrication methods, and their relationship to architecture. Her current research focuses on human-robot collaborative processes and the relationship between robotic construction and the built environment. Her goal is to strengthen the interdisciplinary nature of the field by increasing accessibility of digital tools and connecting technical research with societal aspects.
Before joining EPFL, Stefana was an Assistant Professor at Princeton University, where she led the CREATE Lab Princeton. She completed her doctorate in 2019 at ETH Zurich, Gramazio Kohler Research. Previously, she received her Diploma in Architectural Engineering from the University of Stuttgart and worked with DesignToProduction Stuttgart and Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering.
Time: 17:30 - 18:45
Introductions by the Dean, lectures by Prof. Olga Fink and Prof. Stefana Parascho. Followed by an Apero.
Place: CO2
Zoom link
Title:
From Automation to Collaboration
Repositioning Robots in Design and Construction
Abstract
Digital tools for design and construction have been mainly following two goals: automating analogue processes and materialising complex geometries. Robotics can create new opportunities if we shift from top-down processes, to collaborative, adaptable and intuitive ones that purposely make space for human interaction, reflection and creativity.
Robots working cooperatively, humans and robots building together, designers creating along with machines – the presented work explores the various relationships between humans and machines, between software and hardware, and between efficiency and the needs of our built environment. From scaffold-free assembly to robots employed for material reuse and computational tools designed to ease interdisciplinary knowledge exchange – the goal is to move beyond narratives of efficiency and towards more open and inclusive approaches that can better link technology to societal and environmental challenges. Ultimately, this requires the exploration of new roles for machines, new relationships between humans, algorithms and robots, and new connections across disciplines.
About the speaker
Stefana Parascho is a researcher, architect, and educator whose work lies at the intersection of architecture, digital fabrication and computational design. She is currently an Assistant Professor at EPFL where she founded the Lab for Creative Computation (CRCL).
Through her research, she has explored multi-agent fabrication methods, and their relationship to architecture. Her current research focuses on human-robot collaborative processes and the relationship between robotic construction and the built environment. Her goal is to strengthen the interdisciplinary nature of the field by increasing accessibility of digital tools and connecting technical research with societal aspects.
Before joining EPFL, Stefana was an Assistant Professor at Princeton University, where she led the CREATE Lab Princeton. She completed her doctorate in 2019 at ETH Zurich, Gramazio Kohler Research. Previously, she received her Diploma in Architectural Engineering from the University of Stuttgart and worked with DesignToProduction Stuttgart and Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering.
Links
Practical information
- Informed public
- Registration required
Organizer
- SAR - Gesualdo Casciana