Fabrication - Based Design in the Age of Digital Production

A clear distinction generally exists between processes of design generation and processes of design production. The profusion of digital fabrication tools and technologies make evident such distinctions in the context of design production but at the same time carry potential for material and fabrication-based processes promoting generative design methods. Such strategic application and customization of digital fabrication tools, inherent in and inclusive to the process of design generation, require the knowledge and skillset of production associating material to its fabrication and assembly methods. The paper addresses the area of material fabrication based design and the term Digital Craft is coined to suggest that certain skills acquired through customization processes may contribute to fabrication-guided design protocols. Through the demonstration of some design projects for responsive skin systems the paper classifies three forms of fabrication-informed production processes in which the notion of craft is manifested through material selection, fabrication method and assembly logic corresponding to sewing, lathing and weaving techniques respectively.