Research Themes

Cross-cutting research areas that span labs, projects, and people. Hover any entity pill to reveal connections across all themes.

Human–Machine Interaction

Research on the relationship between human expertise and automated systems in design and construction. Topics include augmented interaction design, real-time spatial construction, AI-driven workflows, and tangible and haptic interface design.

1 Projects4 People
  • Robotic Finishing of Hardset Materials
  • Keith Evan Green
  • Sarah Chen
  • Ramesh Krishnamurti
  • Lisa Park
  • Architectural Robotics Lab
  • Design and Computation Research Group (DCRG)

Cybernetics & Systems Thinking

Application of cybernetic frameworks and systems thinking to design challenges. Research examines feedback, control theory, and information flows as a design medium, and the intellectual legacy of cybernetic thought in contemporary architecture.

2 Projects3 People
  • Diderot's Database
  • Experimental Archaeologies of CAD
  • Jeremy Ficca
  • Daniel Cardoso Llach
  • Ramesh Krishnamurti
  • Laboratory for Cybernetics (Lab4C)
  • Design and Computation Research Group (DCRG)

Heritage & Documentation

Digital documentation of endangered architectural heritage using photogrammetry, drone photography, computer vision, 3D reconstruction, and deep learning. Focus on at-risk physical sites and urban heritage at the frontier of preservation.

2 Projects2 People
  • Experimental Archaeologies of CAD
  • Deep Time Architectural Data
  • Daniel Cardoso Llach
  • Jeremy Ficca
  • Situated Computation Lab (SitCodeLab)
  • Laboratory for Cybernetics (Lab4C)

Computational History & Archaeology

Critical investigations into the history, epistemology, and cultural implications of computational design systems. This theme opens experimental archaeologies of CAD software, engineering knowledge systems, and the intellectual genealogy of design computing.

2 Projects3 People2 Publications
  • Experimental Archaeologies of CAD
  • Diderot's Database
  • Daniel Cardoso Llach
  • Jeremy Ficca
  • Emily Watson
  • Laboratory for Cybernetics (Lab4C)
  • Situated Computation Lab (SitCodeLab)
  • Software Models Design
  • An Archive of Interfaces: Exploring the Potential of Emulation for Software Research, Pedagogy, and Design

Structural Design & Materials

Computational approaches to structural design, regenerative materials, and sustainable construction. Work spans geometry-based structural analysis, digital fabrication at the material scale, and open-source computational tools for the building industry.

2 Projects3 People
  • Robotic Finishing of Hardset Materials
  • Rethinking Automation in Construction (ReAC)
  • Dana Cupkova
  • Eddy Sykes
  • Jimmy Wei-Chun Cheng
  • Regenerative Structures Lab (RSL)
  • Architectural Robotics Lab

Situated Computation & Culture

Investigations into how computation is situated within cultural, social, and material contexts. Research examines the politics of design technologies across diverse communities, traditions and digital practices, and their broader societal interactions.

2 Projects2 People1 Publications
  • Deep Time Architectural Data
  • Diderot's Database
  • Daniel Cardoso Llach
  • Vernelle A. A. Noel
  • Situated Computation Lab (SitCodeLab)
  • Laboratory for Cybernetics (Lab4C)
  • Towards Human-Centered Construction Robotics: A Reinforcement Learning-Driven Companion Robot for Contextually Assisting Carpentry Workers

AI & Machine Learning

Explorations of artificial intelligence, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and generative systems in design contexts. Research encompasses creative AI tools, autonomous robot design, and human-AI collaborative design workflows.

1 Projects4 People
  • Deep Time Architectural Data
  • Ramesh Krishnamurti
  • Joshua Bard
  • Emily Watson
  • Lisa Park
  • Design and Computation Research Group (DCRG)
  • Laboratory for Cybernetics (Lab4C)
  • Mobile Robot-Assisted Material Handling in Prefabricated Housing Factories

Robotics & Fabrication

Research at the intersection of robotic systems, digital fabrication, and material processes. Work in this area develops new approaches to automated construction, surface finishing, and human-robot collaboration in architectural production.

2 Publications
  • Robot in the loop: a human-centered approach to contextualizing AI and robotics in construction
  • Towards Human-Centered Construction Robotics: A Reinforcement Learning-Driven Companion Robot for Contextually Assisting Carpentry Workers
  • Mobile Robot-Assisted Material Handling in Prefabricated Housing Factories