Invited Lecture

Dr. Alex Orsholits

Networked Digital Fabrication: Establishing Interoperability between BIM and IoR

Abstract

In the ever-evolving landscape of architectural design, there is a noticeable shift towards integrating new digital technologies into our urban environments. Virtual realities, once considered mere extensions of our perceived physical realities, are now recognised for their unique infrastructural constraints and architectural expressions. Although building design and post-construction management phases are now largely digital, the construction phase that links the two remains highly analogue with a worryingly low adoption rate of digital fabrication technologies. This new fabric of inter-realities therefore demands innovative approaches to fabrication that cater to both realms. As such, we must challenge the accepted notions of the construction industry to create a more engaging and interoperable framework for simultaneously creating virtual and physical spaces that dynamically and seamlessly blend together.

The presented work aims to highlight the importance of networked DFAB in addressing the current challenges faced by the construction industry, as well as the relevance of a cloud-managed infrastructure for rapid and flexible deployment of construction toolchains that enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the AEC industry as a whole.

Biography

Dr. Alex Orsholits is currently working as a postdoctoral project researcher in Tsukada Lab, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo. Alex completed his Ph.D in Architecture in the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo in 2023, and prior to this, he received a Masters of Engineering from the same graduate school in 2020, and a Bachelor of Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in 2018. His multifaceted research, focusing on Digital Twins, mixed reality (MR), and networked DFAB (digital fabrication), covers a wide range of topics, such as IoT hardware and firmware development, network infrastructures for deploying digital fabrication processes, and web/game engine development for mixed reality and Digital Twin platforms.