The Flowing Matter project was undertaken by Aurgho Jyoti, Jose Luis Garcia Del Castillo and Stefano Andreani with the Design Robotics Group at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. The project explores the role of Computational Design and Digital Fabrication applied to the Material System of Ceramics. It investigates generation of complex tectonic ceramic assemblies composed of robotic wire-cut ruled-shaped inter-locking elements.

Traditionally, ceramic assemblies of complex geometries, such as vaults or curved walls, were achieved through the use of intricate scaffolding for both guiding and temporary structural support, and were performed by highly skilled craftsmen. Today’s building context is characterized by a gradual loss of skilled artisans and increasingly higher labor prices, whereas the implementation of advanced technological tools in the industrial environment is turning ceramic fabrication into a faster, cheaper and more precise process. This research project aims to bring the practice of building ceramic structures closer to the contemporary production context by proposing a revision of a well established production method -clay extrusion and informing it with deep computational design and numerically controlled fabrication methods. In particular, the extrusion process combined with CNC controlled robotic wire-cutting would allow for the production of serialized mass customized ceramic elements, whose shape would be defined by ruled geometries. The resulting tectonic system would be so that the nature of its elements would inform the construction process, allowing for an easier and more precise interlocking assembly. This research looks at the benefits that this production process combined with the properties of ruled seams could bring into the generation of complex ceramic structures in terms of design, structural behavior, and onsite optimization.