FABRICATE is an international peer reviewed conference with supporting publication on the theme of Digital Fabrication. Discussing the progressive integration of digital design with manufacturing processes, and its impact on design and making in the 21st century, FABRICATE brings together pioneers in design and making within architecture, construction, engineering, manufacturing, materials technology and computation. Discussion on key themes include: how digital fabrication technologies are enabling new creative and construction opportunities from component to building scales, the difficult gap that exists between digital modelling and its realisation, material performance and manipulation, off-site and on-site construction, interdisciplinary education, economic and sustainable contexts.
What is unique about FABRICATE is that it features cutting-edge built work from both academia and practice. Selected built work and work-in-progress is presented and discussed at the conference, and featured in the state-of-the-art accompanying publication. This sets FABRICATE apart from the traditional paper-based peer reviewed conferences with proceedings. Because of the time and effort involved in bringing this outstanding quality of work to life but, most importantly, in order to allow sufficient time for exceptional work to happen across academia and practice, the event is designed to occur every 3 years.
FABRICATE was conceived at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London, where the inaugural event was organised and hosted in 2011. It gathered pioneers and worldclass delegates of the field and framed the discussion around the presentation of built or partially built works by individuals or collaborators in research and practice; it also set the foundation for future FABRICATE series. In 2014, ETH Zurich co-organised and hosted the second FABRICATE, working closely with the FABRICATE International Steering Committee from UCL. This second event raised the bar even higher and proved that there is a vibrant and growing FABRICATE community.
