Historically, architecture has served as a canvas for artistic expression. Building elements have been adorned with relief-carved garlands, inscriptions, fresco murals, portrait busts, and classicizing figurative sculptures, all of which emphasize the unique and intentional nature of each component. However, the industrialization of the 19th century brought about a shift in ideals, that stripped architectural components of their decorative elements. Instead, it preferenced the search for beauty in standardization and the economic accessibility provided by mass-produced building elements.
But is there room for artistry within mass production? Can artists be involved in the industrial-making processes of building elements? And how can new technology facilitate artistic mass customization of building components? These questions prompt us to consider the potential for expression, communication, and reflection in the craft of building elements in both interior and exterior spaces.
In his 1924 article, "Mass-Produced Buildings," Le Corbusier emphasized the importance of standards in mass production, stating that they lead to perfection. He argued that economy should be the fundamental principle of beauty, noting that while wastage of materials, effort, and time may not matter when producing a single object, it becomes unacceptable when multiplied by 100,000. This has inspired a trade-off system where artistry is alienated in mass-produced building elements including tiles, wall panels, windows, and doors, and despite their beautiful and meticulous nature, hand craftmanship of these elements cannot meet the demands of large-scale production.
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A sense of artistry, which involves individual craftsmanship, precision, and care in exploring and creating beautiful and diverse elements, should always have a place in architecture. Machines are merely tools, and architecture should strive to once again collaborate with artists through these tools, rather than solely collaborating with the tools themselves.
For example, artists who currently create hand-painted glazed tiles, an ancient art form that curates beautiful mural images using tiles to adorn interiors and exteriors, may face challenges in meeting the high quantity demands of today's architecture. To improve production efficiency, they have sought to utilize techniques such as screen printing and digital printing onto ceramics. This allows for the preservation of the artisanal craftsmanship, subtle imperfections, and individuality of each piece, contributing to a unique aesthetic and character of the building element. This approach can be observed in interior projects like Deux Chats, a Brooklyn bar where designer Xavier Donnelly collaborated with decorative painter Violet Oliphant. Together, they crafted 3,000 custom tiles and created a mural inspired by Art Nouveau.
Acknowledging the value of artistry in building elements is a foundational step. The next step is to explore how technology can aspire to these values within mass-production systems. This is the story of the 1,200 ornate cast aluminum panels that form the facade of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C. Designed by Adjaye Associates in collaboration with Enclos and Element, the panels were inspired by the decorative ironwork often forged by African American slaves and unrecognized freedmen in southern architecture in the United States. The architects collected patterns of iron railings and facade ornaments from South Carolina to New Orleans. They then optimized these patterns using digital modeling software to create abstract patterns suitable for mass production. The project also showcases the beauty and potential of digital fabrication, where the blending of mass and artisanal production nearly eliminates costs. The capacity of new technology to fabricate provides artists with a new art medium and encourages a rethinking of mass-produced elements within a mass-customization scheme.
Mass Customization
Mass customization (MC) is a production process or strategy that aims to provide personalized products and services on a large scale to meet customer needs. Originally rooted in consumer-oriented mass production, it can be translated into an artistry-oriented system that explores artistic possibilities for building elements in a broad market. This includes incorporating novel digital fabrication techniques and technologies like 3D printing, robotic sculpting, and machine weaving. Additionally, it extends to building material manufacturing companies, which can create an ecosystem for artists to leverage technology and create effective and cost-efficient building elements within mass production systems.
A project called Concrete Choreography, conducted by the Digital Building Technologies and Physical Chemistry of Building Materials teams at ETH Zurich, showcases a unique application of technology. This project aimed to explore the use of digital technology in reimagining the design of a contemporary column order and utilized concrete 3D printing to morph this architectural element. By leveraging the layering technique of 3D printing, the project delved into various aspects such as printing path, nozzle control, curing period, digital form, shape, and texture to create an ornamental sculpture. This innovative fabrication process eliminates the need for traditional formwork, and each column was printed at its full height in just 2.5 hours. Furthermore, this approach enables the creation of customized designs with intricate geometries, all within a fully automated and mass customization system.
With the emergence of various mediums for digital art, digital fabrication has become a significant opportunity to reintroduce artistic influences in the creation of building elements. It revives the collaboration between architecture and artistry in a system fit for an industrialized era. Additionally, it provides an opportunity to reconsider manufacturing industries by decentralizing them and localizing value chains, which can reduce the logistics involved in producing finished and semi-finished products. Furthermore, it is important to design policies that incorporate artistic involvement in building elements and architecture to foster collaboration. One example is the 1951 French "1% Art policy," which requires allocating a portion of a construction budget for artistic decoration of public buildings. This policy provides artists with opportunities to explore the potential of various building elements. All these actions play a crucial role in incorporating artistry into the mass production of building elements and contribute to shaping a building culture that emphasizes artistic and artisanal collaboration.
